...because having a home doesn't make you a house

i've said it once and i'll say it a million times if i need to.  you can't possibly know everything about everyone.  and you probably can't even know everything about someone.  and you especially can't know anything about anyone if you judge them before taking the time to get to know them.  it really is that simple.i think people can be amazing if you let them be. today  was meaningful because i visited four homeless shelters, two homeless camp sites, and one transitional residence while doing homeless outreach at my internship.  it's not work when you are doing something you love with your whole entire heart.  i wasn't out saving the world, nor was i doing anything amazing. honestly,  i was having conversations with people. and when you can look someone in the eye and provide them with the dignity and respect they deserve, you can open doors.   when you are able to stop judging where someone is at in their life or what they are doing, you can see that they are more than the  challenges they currently struggle with. and when you can learn about someone's favorite country song, you can remind yourself that we all need help sometimes.  and when you consciously make an effort to change someone's life, you will discover that they in fact, have changed yours.for 4 hours, we just talked. yes, some have mental illnesses.  some have substance abuse problems.  some have problems with the law. what you have however, is not who you are. they are people first.    

what would happen if we stopped judging and started loving?