温馨夜读 PART2 13 The Sociology Class 一堂社会学课（在线收听）

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[00:00.91]The Sociology Class 一堂社会学课

[00:04.73]I have recently completed my college degree.

[00:08.12]The last class I had to take was Sociology

[00:12.61]and the last project of the term was called “Smile”.

[00:16.88]The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.

[00:23.76]Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son,

[00:29.45]and I went out to McDonald’s, one crisp March morning.

[00:33.61]We were waiting to be served, when suddenly everyone around us began to back away.

[00:40.49]As I turned around to see what was happening

[00:44.24]I smelled a horrible “dirty body” smell...

[00:47.82]and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.

[00:53.07]As I looked down at the blue-eyed gentleman, close to me, he was “smiling”.

[00:59.20]He said, “Good day” as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.

[01:04.23]The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend.

[01:09.37]I realized the second man was mentally handicapped

[01:14.99]and the blue-eyed gentle man was his protector.

[01:18.34]All he ordered was coffee because that was all they could afford

[01:23.69]to sit in the restaurant and warm up.

[01:25.86]Then I felt a strong compulsion to reach out and to embrace the blue-eyed man.

[01:31.66]That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me...

[01:36.81]judging every action.

[01:38.88]I smiled and asked for two more breakfasts.

[01:42.70]I put the tray on the table where the two men were seated

[01:46.56]and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand.

[01:50.71]He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Thank you.”

[01:55.42]I leaned over, began to hold his hand and said,

[01:59.24]“God is here working through me to give you hope.”

[02:02.96]When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said,

[02:07.12]“That is why God gave you to me, Honey...to give me hope.”

[02:11.93]I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.

[02:17.62]I turned in “my project” and we shared the story in the class...

[02:22.43]It is then that I knew that we,

[02:25.74]as human beings share this need to heal people and be healed.

[02:30.19]In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald’s,

[02:34.35]my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom.

[02:39.93]I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn—

[02:44.69]Unconditional Acceptance!