Photo by Sue Vincent

I was walking into the village center when I noticed an old man sitting on the curb staring up at the building across the street.  I might not have thought anything of it, but I had noticed this man before, sitting in that same place.  On those other days a stray sunbeam was on him, but now it was cold and miserable out.

My mind filled with questions.  Who was he?  Did he live in one of the nearby houses?  Why was he sitting on the curb?  Did he have dementia?  Generally, my big thought was, what was going on?

“Mind your own business unless you want somebody to mind it for you,” was my motto, but I could not just leave this man out in the cold.  He took no notice as I approached.

“Hello sir,” I said.  “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, thank you,”…