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A Day in the Life...
May 2004
 Outside of McDonald's sat Ronald on his red and yellow park bench, his right arm stretched out to engulf those that needed an embrace, or a photo opportunity. Four young boys clamored onto this “playground” their bare feet fitting between the narrow gaps between the plastic planks. A woman dressed in clothing that seemed to come straight from the nearest storefront pushed the boys away from the bench and smiled at her friend holding up a camera.
They scurried behind and under the bench for a moment, a man with a long walking stick and beard that appeared to have the dirt of some days without washing, keeping a close eye on them. As the woman walked away, they grabbed their plastic bowls that had been temporarily thrown on the ground, and went back to work.
“A-yi, A-yi,” they cry out to women walking by, using this familiar name meaning Aunt as they hold up their collection plates with hands covered in dust, dirt lying in every crease. Ranging in age from seven to three, the boys seem familiar with this place and greedily grab after leftovers pushed into their hands by those walking out of nearby restaurants, after their relentless grabs at the food. White teeth emerge from their dark faces smeared with dirt, as they reach into the bag to see their next meal—food eaten by people they have just met.
When rejected, these young children continue to follow, reaching up to the bags of food held higher and higher in the air. Suddenly the oldest boy claps his hands three times and they all return back to their designated area, away from the parking lot of the four-star hotel.
They seem to recognize the “regulars” who frequently provide their left-over meals, yet don't even have a name to give to the One that has really provided that food for them. What a place, one in which the great provider longs for his servants to be his hands to those around, and even more to reveal the greatest change of all—hearts that see the brokenness of every person that walks on the street, whether they wear shoes, or not.
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