Mary Novaria

  It was one of those days It started by “getting up on the wrong side of the bed,” as my mother used to say. Of course, I got up on the same side I usually do—the reluctant and grumpy side. I’m not really sure if it’s due to biology or habit, but I’m not a morning person. At least not while I’m still in bed. If nature didn’t call, I could probably stay propped against the pillows, snuggling with the dog and my iPhone until noon. Once I will myself out from under the covers, brush my teeth and stagger to the kitchen to put on the kettle, I start to perk up a bit. I didn’t think I’d survive when I gave up coffee last December but here I am, ten months later, alive after all and hooked on a particular green tea with hints of spearmint and lemongrass. I took the dog for a quick spin around our neighborhood park, which is “home” during the day to many who have nowhere else to go.   Men and women with their carts and shopping bags and bedrolls camp out all day, every day...

I saw a dead man in the park this morning. He was lying on his side in the grass next to his walker and a sack of belongings. A fire truck had just arrived and I saw a few uniformed men prodding him with gloved hands as I approached. A moment or two later, one of the paramedics put his gear back in the truck—no need for resuscitation equipment. It shook me, seeing this person, or the shell of him anyway… alone… dead in the grass between the sidewalk and the street… for how long, I wonder, before someone noticed. Ten yards away, children squealed in the fenced-in playground under the watchful eyes of mommies and nannies. Dozens of homeless souls spend their days in the park that’s kitty corner from where we live. City ordinance forbids them from staying overnight, although I suspect some of them do anyway, if they can escape the vigilance of the local police. There’s a shelter quite a few blocks away for overnight stays, and some take their chances in the doorways of local retail ...

The following piece of mine appeared in the Huffington Post Religion section on December 6, 2012 8:07 PM  –  12/ 6/2012 Preparing My Heart for the Birth of Christ -- An Advent Reflection I saw firsthand today the goodness in people, which tends to happen if I stop thinking about myself and pay attention. What I saw today was exactly what Jesus would have done and it helped me re-form my Advent intention. I was walking in the park with my dog, Bella, as we do most days. We passed an old man, sleeping in the grass, which isn’t unusual in our city, where there is a sizable population of homeless people. The man was roused by the beep-beep of a horn as an SUV pulled up along the curb by the park. The two people in the car beckoned the old man to come over. As he approached, the passenger reached out and handed him one of those white, Styrofoam carryout containers, a sizable one, perhaps the only meal the old man would have this day.  And then they drove off...