DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Experince/Altercation from Cleveland last week

So I went to Cleveland last week for my one year anniversary . We stayed at the swanky metro 9 hotel (I would highly recommend). So me and my wife are going to the lobby looking like a million bucks on our way to dinner at Lola’s. In the lobby this young black guy (early twenties) is getting the free jelly beans, the hotel workers are just ignoring him like it’s a common occurrence. So then he looks at me and says:

Him: Black lives matter and these cops don’t care about us, they out here trying to kill us
Me : No, they are not….. and you are going to be stuck like that until you change your mentality about the situation
Him: what do you mean
Me: we have a choice to make our lives better no matter what are circumstance, I am from Cleveland trust me I know
Him: What part?
Me: Kinsman
Him: I am from 1XXstreet on Kinsman
Me: That is actually the street that I am born and raised but moved to Columbus when I was 13.

( He paused looked me up and down)

Him: Pray for Me
Me: I will pray for you when I get home
Him: No pray for me right now about changing my mentality and whatever you want

So him, me and my wife start holding hands the middle of swanky metro 9 and had a prayer session.

The rest of the night I kept thinking back and it bothered me. I was bothered that out of all the things he could have asked for he asked me to pray for him, I am not sure if yall understand how deep that is but as a Christian its deep. He wanted me to ask God on his behalf to help him change his outlook to make him a better person. I think he saw me and realized that I was successful, from the same place he was from and it gave him hope. When he asked for me to pray for him he acknowledged that he was wrong to say that about police, he wanted to change, he was asking to God to bless him out of his situation. I wonder if my prayer will be the thing that makes him successful in life or if he was going end up as another statistics. As I type this I am still bothered, and honestly I am not sure how to feel about the whole thing or what to do, but just wanted to share it…

(I have gone back and forth over a few days about posting this but decided just go head and do it)

You know how I feel about religion.

However, you definitely did the right thing. If that's what he needed in order to get through his issues, then that's about the most patriotic and unselfish thing you could've done.

Salute.

You did a good thing. Like you said, you came from the same place which gives him something to relate to. I do believe in the power of happiness and positive thought and I think those are almost prerequisites to achieving success in life. To those reading, how many bitter, hostile people do you know who are successful in life?

I'm guessing not many, probably zero. I know that some people start out in better situations than others and telling this to someone who grew up in an awful neighborhood is likely to fall in deaf ears, but I really do believe it. Being resentful just makes it that much harder to get out of.

Slow clap rising.

I'm an atheist, but only a moron doesn't believe in the power of prayer.

I'm glad you were there for that man, Lurker. You're a class act.

Outstanding Sir ( and your wife ) .. Hold out your hand to all that will grasp it !

Sounds to me like you were meant to be in that lobby at that moment and did exactly as you were needed to do.

The rest is up to him

Hopefully you gave him something to strive for. As I tell my kids almost every day, 'No one is going to give it to you. You have to earn it.' To put that back to religious terms, 'God helps those that help themselves.' Hopefully he will work at his own success, and not wait for it to drop out of the sky.

Thanks all.

I still feel bothered because I know without a few opportunities that could have been me and just sitting here thinking about living in poverty is depressing.

Mayonnaise sandwiches bro!!!

Opportunities come, but we have to recognize them, and we have to have the correct mindset to act upon them when they come.

It all starts with perspective - that alone can go a long, long way to you putting yourself into positions for those opportunities to come along.

You're a good guy, Lurker.

You guys had Mayonaisse??!! ;(

We used to eat cinnamon toast like 3 times a day. Toast + brown sugar + butter....

or cut up potatoes and make french fries.

We couldn't afford to eat out or buy pizza, so what i use to do was toast bread, put a slice of cheese on top, convince my mom to buy pepperoni and put it on top, stick it in the oven.

Bam!! Homemade pizza.

Hell yea bro!! Take some from the cafeteria at school cause my parents only bought miracle whip

During the summer we got kicked out of the house to go to the Boys and Girls Club on Trowbridge because they had free lunch every day

Lurker, you have touched my heart!

As I was reading your post, I was envisioning this beautiful scene play out and knew that it was very definitely meant to occur.

First of all, let me say God Bless you. Secondly, let me say thank you for representing me and the sector of society that chooses to be part of the solution to the issues we are facing. You touched a heart, very, very deeply, that day. And mine today with this post.

I pray, while knowing, that you gave this individual hope, thoughts and a friend on that day.

Wishing you continued strength and wisdom to lead others down this positive path to healing hearts and souls!

My dad was enlisted in the Navy, so we never had a lot of money, but he did have a paycheck. There was no prepackaged food in the house, with the exception of cereal and bread (hope you like Grape Nuts). All lunches and dinners were home made. I brought lunch to school every day, and had to make my own in the summer. No snacks between meals either, to make sure we kids would eat our dinner. If it wasn't raining sideways or below 0, we went outside to play. We didn't have anything better than a black and white TV until the early 80s.

We might not have been poor, but I did get a good lesson on earning what you wanted.

My family was middle class and we had homemade lunch and dinner. I thought that was ideal. There was no way junk food was being served in my house.

Outstanding act of compassion. My hat is off to you, sir.

Thanks for sharing that with us, Lurker.

I hesitate to say anything, because it's not where I'm from. It's not my experience. But I think so many people never strive for success because they never see it happen for people close enough to them for it to resonate. They think success is "for other people." I think kids would be a lot better off if they had some tangible reason or example to believe they could be more than they are or where they are headed if they just ride the wave. Hearing someone say "you can be anything you want" is a lot better than "this is all you can be," but it's not effective with most young people unless they can see real examples (like yourself) who are able to achieve success with the same background/situation as themselves.

Again, thanks for sharing.

Knowing you.. This is something that I feel when we hang out at the tailgates.. you have an incredible peaceful presence..

The love you have for your 2 young and beautiful children.. the kindness that you speak of your wife and the kindness you speak in general.

That young man may not have had the parents in his life he needed... but he had something in his heart that wanted him to be a positive person in a very hard world..

He will never forget you... and that moment was special and positive for three people... pay it forward !!!

How did I miss this thread?

What an incredible story of love for another human being. I absolutely believe in the power of prayer, and I hope that he turns his life over to Christ, because that really is a truly successful life. That was an extraordinarily loving thing you did for him, and something that some Christians actually have a hard time doing. I wouldn't be bothered by it. I would be honored that he saw Christ in you, and wanted you to go before the Lord for/with him on his behalf. I also think that it is a great sign that this young man wanted to pray. There is great power in prayer.

Well done. I hope you don't mind that I have added my prayers to yours for this young man.

We were poor when I grew up. (financially, anyway) We used to go to my uncle's farm on Saturdays. (and to my granddad's on Sundays) My uncle was older at that point, and didn't have the huge farm he did when he was a younger man, but he had a nice amount of corn, tomatoes, squash, peppers, and such planted. We always came home with veggies during the summer. Tomato sandwiches were one of my favorites, and a staple during the summer. Man, 2 pieces of toast, some mayo, and a couple of nice slices of real farm grown tomato with some salt. Yum.

I think most everybody who has "made" it can feel that way. I think some people can't ask for help. or accept help.

No doubt anyone can look back and point to this or that as the turning point that made the difference.

I was thinking about what he said there ..... and this thought came to me:

God puts us where He needs us, when He needs us there. He needed Lurker there, at that moment, so He made sure that the circumstances would be exactly right for him to be there, in the right economic and spiritual condition to be of help to this young man.

The guy wouldn't let you off the hook with the "I will do it later line " would he.

It seems to me this experience was just as helpful to you as it was to him.

Good job God, we don't give you enough props big guy.