You may not see him walking down the street.  His head is cast down and he is packing all of his belongings on his back.  If you happen to walk by, he probably won’t make eye contact.  You may even cross the street to avoid him.  He is homeless.  The day before Thanksgiving, Bill and I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Joy Junction /City of Albuquerque Annual Thanksgiving Dinner for the homeless.  We were greeters. We stood at the doors and greeted everyone that walked in.  There were many that didn’t smile, but more that did.  We got handshakes and thank yous.  We weren’t doing anything special just saying hi.  But as I thought about this on the way home, our smiles could have been the first smiles they have seen in days.  Albuquerque, unfortunately, has a high homeless rate.  Joy Junction is the largest emergency homeless shelter in the state.  We saw a man with six or seven sweaters on and a bag that held his possessions. We saw families with small children, couples and singles.  I don’t know why the people that were enjoying the warmth and the Thanksgiving dinner were there or how they got to the point of homelessness. There is always someone out there that needs our help.  We can offer a smile or a word of encouragement or we can do more.  We can donate our time.  We are living in hard times particularly now with the economy the way it is.  If you have something you can spare, donate it.  Sleeping bags, blankets, food, socks, gloves, hats,  whatever you may have to help someone that needs it.  The  simple acting of smiling to welcome someone to a dinner has changed me.  I hope during this holiday season and beyond you will seek out ways to serve those in your community. After all, we are our brother’s keepers.