One September morning on the first day of school Daniel noticed a boy his age sitting in the back of the classroom with his head resting on his desk. The boy looked thin and very tired. He also looked as if he had a world of worries weighing on his mind. Daniel felt for the other boy and wondered what could be happening in his life that he could not remain focused in class and seem so sad, like he expected the worst from everything even saw the worst from the world he shared with him. Daniels' life seemed so happy and carefree. He does so well in school, in all of his subjects and all of his needs are met. Why wasn't this other boy feeling as secure as he was? As Daniel thought of this boy more, he began to feel for him and wished there was something he could do to help. But what could he possibly do he thought to himself. I am just a boy too.

Every day the boy would arrive to class late exhausted with no energy, unable to pay attention to the lessons. The teacher called his parents in or sent notices home all the time over concern for him, but they did not seem to care or would fail to show up or reply to her notes. Daniel wondered why they would not even respond to the teacher.

So, feeling there was nothing real he could do to help this boy he tried to avoid him as much as possible though the boy never left his mind. Daniel felt bad about it but also felt helpless about the situation until one day when both of them were not paying attention to where they were going during a lunch break and literally ran into each other. The boys lunch box went flying in the air like something in a juggling act at a circus as did Daniels. The two boys were a bit stunned and confused at first, but both picked up their tousled lunch boxes, stood up and introduced themselves.

' I am so sorry, I should have paid more attention to where I was going.” Daniel said.

' Me too.” Said the boy. “My name is Andrew by the way.”

“I am Daniel, but I prefer to be called Danny.”

“Nice to meet you, Danny.” Andrew replied.

As Daniel and Andrew sat down at a lunch bench the two started talking and Daniel learned a lot about Andrew. He found out that Andrew and his family are homeless and stay in a homeless shelter. Daniel wondered what that must be like. Andrew explained to him that both his parents were working but his father made more money then his mother until one day when his father became ill and was no longer able to work. This was not the kind of sickness you get over in a week. It was forever and his father tried to continue with his job until they had to let him go after a while because due to his sickness, he could not do his job as well as he used to. His mother does not earn enough money to pay rent for an apartment. In Los Angeles rents can be as much as four- thousand dollars a month. So, they lost the apartment they were living in and found themselves at a homeless shelter. Andrew also said he wishes there was something he could do to help his parents with the situation, but he is just a kid and concluded the only things he can do is be patient, understanding and try not to complain though he has been suffering with it himself. He knows he has not done well in school. He comes to school so tired and hungry. He can't focus on school when all he wants to do is eat and sleep. You can't sleep too good in a homeless shelter and the food they give you there is awful he explained. He can never see his parents together as the shelter makes them sleep a part from each other. “I hate that the shelter does that with married people!” He exclaimed. “Why can't they be together?”

After hearing Andrew's story Daniel's heart went out to him all the more and decided to make Andrew his friend. The two boys ate their lunch, and Daniel saw that there was hardly anything in Andrew's lunch box. It just so happened that he had an extra sandwich he can never eat and so he offered it to Andrew. Andrew smiled at Daniel and with grateful tears in his eyes thanked him for the sandwich. It was roast beef with all the fixings and something Andrew had not had in a long time. So he stuffed the sandwich down feeling ravenous.

When Daniel left school for home that afternoon, he told his parents about Andrew and his family's situation. His eyes were full of questions he did not know if he could articulate and so his mother begun by asking him how they met. Andrew told them that he had always noticed him sitting in the back of the class looking so hungry and weak and somehow older than he actually was. And at lunch break they bumped into each other. Then he looked up at his parents and asked if there is anything more, he could do to help them.

His mother commented that besides having them over for dinner one day what people like Andrew and his family need most is to be treated like everyone else and let them have their dignity. People often forget that just because someone is homeless and down on their luck it does not make them any less human than they are themselves and showing weakness is not a crime or a sin. It is just human.

“You did the right thing by befriending Andrew.” Daniel's mother told him.

Daniel decided from then on, he would bring two lunches with him, of course with the consent and help from his mother, one was for him and the other for Andrew. Andrew always thanked him for his kindness and generosity. They were always seen playing together. In addition to the extra lunch Daniel never felt ashamed or embarrassed to be friends with Andrew which is the most important thing. Some of the other kids at school snubbed Daniel for being friends with and playing with Andrew but he did not care. The way he saw it if they saw fit to show their butts to him and Andrew, they were not his friends to begin with and he stuck to his belief that he was doing what was right.

Later in the year at school Andrew introduced Daniel to some kids who also happened to be homeless. Daniel was shocked that more than Andrew were homeless at his school but as he came to know each kid, he learned that they had a, lot of things in common like football and soccer. They all seemed to enjoy baseball as well and loved the Dodgers, but only when they win. They appreciated feeling a part of a community when they attended live baseball games. No one was telling them they had to leave, and they just were enjoying themselves. They all hated math and loved English class and anything where they could be creative and express themselves. Every one of them felt misunderstood by their parents at times, struggled with limits and boundaries and miss having new clothes for school. Most of them had to walk to school every morning and the school was several miles away for some. When Daniel heard this, he talked with his mom about offering rides to school for those kids who had to walk. She had to drive Daniel to school anyway in the morning. so. she agreed to do this though it meant they had to be up earlier than usual.

Eventually, Andrew and his family started coming over for dinner at Daniels house. Both their parents became good friends and saw a lot of each other. Daniel's father would help Andrew's father with job leads. and prepared him for job interviews until one day when he actually found a job that was more understanding and compassionate about his forever sickness and needed him and what he could do. They moved out of the homeless shelter one day and found a nice apartment. None of them ever looked back but when the two families would see people on the street with no homes they acted with compassion and empathy and always tried to help when they could. Andrew's family's story always reminded them that anyone's luck can change, and it does not matter what you lived in before, a large house or a large apartment. No one who finds themselves homeless one day is any less deserving of respect, kindness and dignity. And who knows you might even have found a good friend, a forever friend if you simply give them those things.