A homeless man requests a slice of cake on his birthday, but instead, a barber provides him with a new appearance and treats him to a meal at a restaurant.
And while one person’s kind gesture certainly won’t relieve poverty or change another person’s fate forever, surely what one person can do on a small scale is often an incredible improvement for someone else. Murilo is a young Brazilian hairdresser who was not indifferent to the wish of Marcos, a homeless man, on his birthday. The man living on the street told the young man that he had prayed hard because he wanted to find someone to share his special day and a piece of chocolate cake with. With these words, Murilo decided to give an even bigger gift to a man less fortunate than himself.
Murilo often goes to church, and it was on his way back from church that he had the opportunity to talk to Marcos, a homeless man who wanted someone to spend his birthday with. Instead of buying him a simple chocolate cake, as Marcos wanted, Murilo wanted to give him a whole day of care and attention. Being a barber, Murilo gave him a beard and a haircut, but first he let him have a good bath to cool off.
As well as taking care of his hair, Murilo also bought clothes for the homeless man and invited him to dinner with his whole family. Sitting on the church steps that morning, Marcos could not have imagined that he would meet someone as special as Murilo. Besides, it was his birthday: he would not forget it so easily!
It is clear that a haircut and new clothes will not radically change Marcos’ life, but it is still an important gift that gave a homeless person a break from the gruelling life on the streets. Often people who find themselves homeless have no choice but to live on the streets, even if they want to change their lives and start again.
Murilo didn’t change Marcos’ life, but he certainly brightened his day by supporting him and making him feel appreciated on his birthday, when everyone deserves to be happy!
