I had seen a homeless couple with a pup in my neighborhood a few times. Animal welfare is important to me, so this seemed like the opportunity to send the Love Forward, but I needed to find them. On a very hot day, after a ton of yard work, I was running an errand, and I saw them! I quickly pulled over, grabbed the envelope, and ran over to them.
I told them what the Love Forward effort was all about, that I had NO idea what denomination was, and that I wanted to share this moment with them and their sweet pup. The young man smiled, opened his arms wide, and said, “Oh, I want to give you a hug!!” I hesitated, because I was a stinky, sweaty mess, which I proceeded to share with him. He kept moving forward to hug me and said, “We sleep outside, it’s alright!” I received the warmest, most generous hug from him, both of us oblivious to anything but the moment we were sharing.
I gave a little scratch to their adorable and clearly loved pup, and the young woman smiled and said, “Thank you so much!!” as I walked back to my car. I realized the motivation of Love Forward movement in that one extraordinary moment.
—Val Rick