Veteran still changing lives even though he's homeless

If you want to know why I do this everyday, it is stories just like this. While I wish I could post them all the time, telling the sad stories makes a story like this all the more wonderful.

How many times have you walked by a homeless person and never once consider them as another human with a past or how they got to be where they are? Do they feel? Do they need a smile or a kind word? This story shows what can happen when this young woman took the time to talk to a homeless veteran. She showed him kindness and he returned that kindness with compassion for her. Great time of year to remind each of us that caring about others is not just a Christmastime thing but more about making miracles happen one simple act of kindness at a time.

Homeless Veteran Tony's Gift Goes Viral On Reddit (PHOTO)
The Huffington Post
By Hayley Hudson
Posted: 12/06/2012

In a post that's going viral on Reddit, a bearded man with weathered skin smiles for a photo next to a beautiful girl.

Redditor pmrhobo identifies the unlikely pair of friends as his sister and Tony, a homeless veteran who hangs out near her workplace. According to his sister, who typed up the story for pmrhobo to share, the two of them talk and eat lunch together often.

"Tony tells me about his war stories, loved ones, and who should win the Super Bowl," she wrote in the Dec. 5 post. "I tell Tony about my problems, loved ones, and how I don't really care who should win the Super Bowl."

Over the past month, which she described as one of the hardest times of her life, Tony helped her navigate some tough personal issues.

"At times there really seemed as if there wouldn't be solace," she wrote. "Tony was there for me, listened each day as things got worse and surely pushed me to move forward and continue working toward my dreams and ambitions."

One day, Tony's steady support culminated when he made a gesture that took her completely by surprise: read it here