Right now, in this present situation, if you have work, you are truly blessed.

If you can bring food to the table, buy clothes, pay the bills, and at times, treat yourself to some good food, then you should really be grateful.

Sometimes, we tend to talk about our misfortunes instead of focusing on what we already have. We don’t realize how truly blessed we are until we see how hard it is for other people.

Officer Michael Rivers, police at Goldsboro Police Department, North Carolina, has been in the service for the past 10 years. The now 30-year-old officer went viral last year because of one photo that tells a heartwarming story.

Michael is very familiar with his community. Being observant is a big part of his job. No wonder he’s familiar with the faces and even the names of all the homeless people in his community.

However, last March 2020, Michael came across a homeless woman that he didn’t recognize. Aside from that, he also noticed her white shirt with a large message that says:

“Homeless. The fastest way of becoming a nobody.”

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It was short, but it was meaningful. In our society, being homeless also strips you of everything. We live in a world where being homeless also means being judged by many.

Michael was driving at that time, and his windows were down, so they made eye contact. They said “hey,” and Michael drove away.

Something was still bothering Michael.

He knew he had to go back, but he didn’t know the reason why.

He went straight back to where he saw the homeless woman and asked her if she already had lunch. She said no, so he immediately went and got himself and the homeless woman lunch. He bought one cheese and one pepperoni pizza, and then he also got sodas and paid for them.

He came back and asked the homeless woman to join him for lunch. They both sat down and enjoyed their meal together.

The warm pizza and refreshing soda were so good, but what made this lunch better is how the two of them bonded.

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For 45 minutes, Michael and Michelle, the homeless woman, talked about their lives. There, Michelle told the kind police that she already has two children.

Her son was already 23 years old, and her daughter, 12.

Unfortunately, her daughter is in foster care and is battling liver disease.

It also turns out that Michelle has a husband who was also homeless. He was there, standing across the street.

Now, Michael didn’t post this beautiful encounter on social media.

In fact, he didn’t have an idea that someone saw him and decided to take a photo.

Cassie Lea Parker was having her lunch break, and she saw this beautiful encounter. She decided to take a photo, and her boyfriend, Chris Barnes, decided to post it on Facebook.

The said post went viral and got 3.9K reactions and 5.3K shares.

After finishing their hearty meal, the two friends parted ways.

According to Michael, they realized how similar they were – they were both being judged by society.

Michelle, a homeless woman, is singled out in society. She is being judged for being in this situation and how pathetic her life is. The fact is, people would judge homeless people even before knowing their stories.

What people fail to see is how strong these people are. How hard it is to stand up and try again even if they are being judged by society.

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Michael, a dedicated police officer, is also often judged. He is sometimes blamed for negative issues that were caused by the “bad apples.”

What the people fail to see is how many police officers are doing their best for this country.

Because of the photo, some people started seeing the bigger picture, and what’s great is that some people even sent Michael letters.

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Even today, this photo is still being shared. We do hope that more and more people get to see this.

Follow Officer Rivers here and remember, judge less and help more.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: MyPositiveOutlooks, Michael Rivers, Chris Barnes