Warmth at Midnight
Canberra winters are extremely cold,and 2014 brought some of our coldest days. One weekday night I walked to the ___31___supermarket before it closed at midnight.
As I approached,I noticed a group of six or seven people___32___by the supermarket entrance. Aware of the___33___ of late-night walking,I made sure I paid attention. The scene ahead looked unusual.
And unusual it was. Expecting to see a group of___34___troublemakers,I found a weak, well-dressed old man distributing items of food to a group of homeless people. Rather than just feeding them,he was also engaging them in a___35___of warm discussion.
The homeless people were rough-looking and___36___dressed. But they listened to the man___37___,not just with gratitude for the food they had been___38___. With no charity vehicle in sight,this old man was only representing himself.
After I finished shopping,the group was still there,food___39___,but all laughing. If a weak old man can give to others in the___40___cold at midnight,what excuse do we have?