Waste Not, Want Not

My brother graduated with his bachelor's degree in Theology & Philosophy on Saturday, and we are SO proud of him.
The family went out for dinner afterwards, and on our way out, a man on the side of the road offered to buy our leftovers from us,  We didn't take his money, but we handed him the to-go box with contents that didn't require utensils.
And I listened to his words of thanks and his "God bless you"s, and I watched him walk back to the curb to share the half-sandwich with two other men.

And I just haven't been able to get this man out of my head.

How many times have I purchased more food than I could eat at a restaurant and grimaced because I had eaten "too much"?

And that thought just kind of disgusts me when I see how eager this man was for our half-sandwich.

When we were little, my mom always made sure we cleared our plates.  We sat there until we finished.  And sometimes we could complain, "I don't like it!  I don't want to eat it!"

And my mom always told me about these starving kids in Africa who would just LOVE to have my scraps -- the crust off my sandwich.

But what about the people who are hungry next door?  Down the street?

They became so very real to me this weekend.

When my fiancé and I go out to eat -- even just fast food -- we're spending about $10.
Well, last week, we found out we could feed his whole family and myself (6 people) a great meal for that same 10 dollars, and I know it was healthier than McDonald's.  And when I choose to feed me and my fiancé with those $10, I'm choosing not to feed the other four.

And if I'm spending the money anyway, then...why not?

These are just my humble reflections, and I don't know what to do with them just yet.  But thank you for listening.