{"id":2130,"date":"2011-12-19T20:04:28","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T20:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/prayables\/?p=2130"},"modified":"2011-12-19T22:00:53","modified_gmt":"2011-12-19T22:00:53","slug":"shades-of-gray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayables\/2011\/12\/shades-of-gray.html","title":{"rendered":"Shades of Gray"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>She is gray. Her hair is greasy and gray. Her down coat is filthy and gray. And the cup she’s constantly shaking is gray too. The homeless woman who set up shop on the sidewalk to the right of the double doors of Ellen\u2019s downtown office blends into the scenery so completely, it\u2019s a wonder she\u2019s noticed at all.<\/p>\n

But she is. Not just noticed, but cared for too. It\u2019s a friendly neighborhood. Her single square of sidewalk is where Ellen and her co-workers frequently stop to fill the gray cup, drop off food, and share a kind word.<\/p>\n

The gray panhandler is mentally ill and very poor. But she manages to turn an act of charity into a pleasant exchange between friends. Ellen gives, and the woman offers a heartfelt “thank-you<\/em>.” Next, she smiles and offers these words: \u201cGod bless you.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Young Anne Frank said it best when she wrote from her hideaway in Nazi Germany,\u00a0 \u201cGive of yourself, give as much as you can! And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

– Prayables<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE and enjoy these features from the Daily Prayable! <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2192 Daily Story<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2192 Daily Scripture<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2192 Daily Prayer
\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2192 Daily Video<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2192 Daily Joke<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2192 Daily Quote<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

She is gray. Her hair is greasy and gray. Her down coat is filthy and gray. And the cup she’s constantly shaking is gray too. The homeless woman who set up shop on the sidewalk to the right of the double doors of Ellen\u2019s downtown office blends into the scenery so completely, it\u2019s a wonder…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":463,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[1342,1340,1343,1345,1341,1344],"class_list":["post-2130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspirational-stories","tag-anne-frank-quote","tag-charity","tag-homeless","tag-inspirational-story-about-giving","tag-kindness","tag-panhandler"],"yoast_head":"\nShades of Gray - Prayables<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayables\/2011\/12\/shades-of-gray.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shades of Gray - Prayables\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"She is gray. 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