Coffee with Steven

This morning I shared coffee and cookies with Steven. Steven told me he has lived on the streets since his wife died four years ago. As a Vietnam era vet he feels a special love for his country and spoke with pride about his service. "The Willamette Valley is full of a lot of homeless vets..." he said. "I wish more could be done for us."

With the recent round of snow and ice, Steven took advantage of warming centers at several local churches. "They feed us and it's pretty comfortable. Real nice." He proudly tugged at the new jacket he received at one of the churches. "It's nice and warm," he said.

While ordering our treats at the coffee shop, Steven eyed the pastries with delight. He opted for the Valentine's Day cookies because they were on sale, 2 for $1.00. We got four. "I can't eat that other stuff anyway, too tough and I don't have teeth." He looked back at the cookies as they were being boxed up. "And that pink frosting looks real good!" he told me. It did look good.

Eating heart shaped cookies on the street this Sunday morning. Thank you for sharing a little bit of your day with me, Steven.