I sobbed in a homeless man’s arms.

I did not know the man. Most likely I will not see him again, but I will never forget the moment our hearts touched in the intimate dance of raw truth: he lives on the street and I in a warm apartment.

I wanted to take him home with me.

It began when I commented on his dog. He smiled very proud and said, “Yea, she’s great. I’ve got her back and she’s got mine.”

As he spoke, gently petting the dog, I reached into my wallet and took out all the money I had. Without counting, looking, or caring what he would do with it I handed it to him. He hesitantly took it. As our hands touched my tears began. The young man reached out, wrapped me tight in his arms and said, “It’s okay. We’re okay out here. Thank you for caring.”

As I turned to leave he said, “I love you.”

I looked him in the eyes and said, “I love you too.”

Until then I’d never said, “I love you,” to a complete stranger. To someone with whom I’d only met and exchanged a few brief moments. Yet, when I spontaneously responded to the man with “I love you,” I meant it from the bottom of my heart and with every part of my being.  There was no thought. My heart was simply wide open and spilling out came the pure, honest emotion of caring deeply for him.

Each of us experiences transformational moments in life. Times when an opportunity presents itself to grow our spiritual nature by leaps and bounds. This was one of my moments, and I took it. I saw him and his dog and could have passed them by. But something (God) deep within my soul said, See him and tell him he is seen!

Making the choice to listen to and act upon soul direction opened me to a lesson I could only learn with the willingness to experience the sincerity of our exchange.  Holding him and allowing him to hold me birthed a deep and profound understanding of what it means to be vulnerable to loving without expectations or conditions.  The kind of love we all want. The depth of intimacy we all long for. The magnificent feeling of being connected to the divine in another human being.

My sweet homeless man was an angel. A messenger of wisdom who taught me love is more than affection for those closest to us. To love is to move through life in loving ways. With sensitivity and kindness. With patience, compassion and respect.

Love does not judge or fear. Love cares and shares. To love is to feel ourselves in others.

In loving like Jesus we become one with God, if even for a brief moment and we learn it is possible to know the divine as real. And, our desire to experience more moments of oneness with love, grows.