Man in Tears Realizing Why Homeless Man Wants to Buy 100 Roses
There are any number of reasons why people become homeless — everything from traumatic life events, to various addictions, to a spectrum of mental disorders. Yes, the causes of and solutions for homelessness make for all sorts of public-policy arguments.
But one of the things we tend to forget while wrangling over the subject is that the homeless are people in their own right, every bit as much as we are.
It’s a truth that filmmaker Lance Smith from Australia’s Gold Coast brought vividly to life in a Feb. 13 Facebook post.
While stopping at a coffee shop in Nobby’s Beach, Smith ran into a man named Cameron who was selling “The Big Issue,” a street newspaper. “As I walked past him into the cafe,” Smith wrote, “he looked at me, smiled, and said, ‘Have a great day.’”
That brief moment of connection sparked something in Smith, and after he got his java, he returned to Cameron’s post, bought a paper, and started to chat.
That was when he learned about the man’s life — and his tearjerker of a Valentine’s Day plan.
A schizophrenic who struggled with depression, Cameron had ended up on the street multiple times since his twenties after his father fell ill.
His mental struggles made it impossible to hold down a job.
But he liked selling “The Big Issue,” saying that it made his bleak moods more bearable. However, the most he ever made in a day was a paltry $35.
Still, he had a plan for his hard-earned cash: He was going to buy 100 roses and give them away on Valentine’s Day.
“I’ll be giving them out for free,” Cameron explained to a shocked Smith.
“I just like to see the joy and smile on people’s faces.”
Smith was so moved by his generosity that he decided to help. So he drove Cameron to a nearby Aldi.
Cameron bought 50 roses, and so did Smith.
Later, Smith posted his experience to Facebook, never expecting that (as of press time) it would garner an astonishing 23,000 shares.
“I wasn’t expecting this response from posting the story online,” he told the Gold Coast Bulletin. “[Cameron is] a beautiful human with a massive heart — and a lot of roses.”
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