I was searching for sad quotes about life to post in Facebook, since nobody ever posts those, and I thought there should be some balance in human thinking. Life is not a dance upon roses for everyone all the time.

This is one that I found:

"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat."

These were the words of Mother Teresa, and I have a true story to tell you, which I remembered reading those words.

Oh, I know I should write decent, inspirational stories, since nothing else is kosher, but the fact of the matter is that this is true!

* * *

Many years ago I saw this man on a tram stop.

He was an alcoholic, a little drunk, dirty, unkempt, and with smelling clothes, not kosher at all.

He was giving people a hard time trying to get someone to talk to. People on tram stops do not talk to any stranger, they stare. So his behaviour was not kosher.

Everyone walked away and turned their backs at him. They were decent. He was not.

They could see that the man was neither dangerous nor violent. But they knew he was not kosher.

It all ended with me sitting next to him on the tram. Not kosher at all. Everyone stared.

We had much to talk about, discussing his life and books we had read. "Wuthering Heights" was his favourite and I had quite liked it too.

He was a nice, inspiring and intelligent man, though not kosher.

He had had a hard life and lonely too. It was a long time since he had met someone who listened to him and answered his questions. This person was me, and I was not kosher anymore.

So next he asked if he could just hold my hand for a while. I felt a little bad about it, but let him hold it. This was definitely not kosher.

Everyone around me now stared at me instead. I was the leper, the indecent, the one they loathed.

When I had to leave him and get off at my tram stop, the man spoke and his voice could be heard by everyone.

"I have seen an angel."

I blushed with shame, since I had done so little, reluctantly. Yet, it had meant so much to this man.

From that moment on I learned not to care if the things I do are kosher or not, and I shall never change my mind.  

.