I am a mother of three children and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was social study. The last project of the term was called "Smile". The last class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions. Soon after we were given the project, my husband, my youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's one cold March morning. It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back way. I turned around and found there standing behind me were two poor homeless men with a horrible "dirty body" smell. The short gentleman, close to me, was "smiling". His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of light as he searched for acceptance. The second man played with his hands uneasily as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation  . The short man just asked for a coffee because that was all they could afford. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the corner to the men's table. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said "Thank you". I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That's why God gave you to me, Honey. To give me hope." On the last evening of class, I turned in "my project" and the instructor read it. Then she looked up at me and said, "Can I share this?" I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read and we all knew that we need to heal people and to be healed. I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE. "LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS---NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE." After the author handed the meals to the homeless men, she   _  .
talked with them for a while. went back to her husband and son turned in her project regretted and cried