How it all begins…
It is most usual for my girls and myself to fly over to Miami for a couple of weeks during the summer vacation.
It is not usual that we’d go instead in the Fall and exceptional that the day after I arrived back in Zürich, I’d fly off to Cuba with my Partner for 3 weeks. Hence all the miles.

Our first trip into South Beach, Miami was when my twins and older daughter were 10 and 14. The immediate jump to the beach left them with the expected enthusiasm that they have had for the beach since they were fresh out of diapers. It was the first evening that brought about how they suddenly felt about this place that they saw as paradise.

We were going to dinner down Washington Avenue and being that it wasn’t all too humid, we decided to walk from our near Lincoln Road on Collins Hotel. It didn’t take more than a block until we came across the first homeless person laying in the corner entrance of a closed building, and from there after the homeless were present and visible with each block. By the time we reached the restaurant my children were rather distraught. Living here in Switzerland and the prior vacations to the west coast of Florida, this was a very new sight for them. They turned afraid of what they had witnessed. They were afraid of the homeless. Speaking with them during the meal, they came to see that they were most saddened and shocked, and I sensed that they would prefer a taxi back as their young, naïve eyes had had enough to digest for one day.

Before we left the restaurant, I had told the girls that a way to feel better about what they had seen, was to help. That we would go to the store and each get a bag of water, fruit and a sandwich and they could choose someone to help that night. They were still frightened of the idea of approaching a homeless person but the idea of helping clearly won.
We taxied up to Lummus Park Ocean Ave after buying food packed in separate, ready to give bags. At this time the Park, quite unlike the years before, was more or less filled at night with seasoned and seemingly “new” homeless, that after speaking with them I learned they had lost their job and then house during the crash. My daughters shyly and carefully looked at all the people as we walked. Finally, I accompanied them to the person they chose.

When we got back to the Hotel room, they were so invigorated with pride and happiness that they were able to help someone, that they now could not wait for the next night to do it again. But this time not just one person.

And that is how it all began. And that is how it has remained the years after, have dinner and shop for the homeless.

My oldest and Twins are now 22 and 18 respectively.

We decided that for our first night this Fall in SOBE we would walk over to Lincoln Road, and for me, to get their Lincoln pleads to go there out of the way. We crossed the street from the 1 Hotel that we were very fortunate to be able to stay at, walked just one block and found a very large man lying on newspaper appearing to be asleep. We turned around and looked at each other and decided to walk a block back to the Walgreens across the street from our Hotel and get him some food. Corn Bread, large sandwich, a banana and large bottle of water. When we came back, he opened his eyes as if half in fear (maybe thinking it was the police telling him to move on?) His eyes red, he accepted. As we turned away, he was sat up and furiously chowing down the corn bread. Needless to say, we went to him on our second night as well.

The third night my Daughters asked to go back to Lincoln. I had had enough of window shopping there and felt secure enough with their 18 years and knowledge of the Town to let them venture out on their own if they wanted. They took me up on it.

The result of how they spent their evening warmed my heart, as I hope it will yours…..tomorrow.

Till then, travel a sweet dream,
Heather