Touch a Life

Ramece Cave

I ran into this very intriguing person while meeting a friend in Chinatown. Something about his demeanor told me to take his picture as he came towards me. I offered five dollars for a moment of his time while I take his picture. He agreed and proceeded to tell me about his tour in Nam and his past as a photojournalist. Al as I later found out his name helped me set the composition for this shot and moved into brighter light for a better shot.

I was compelled to stay and talk with Al because his story is a unique being a minister and advocate for the homeless. Al asked me if I thought it was illegal to be homeless because he was arrested once while sleeping on the street, which resulted in him losing his bed in a shelter. For taking up what ended up being about 15 minutes of his time I handed him twenty dollars to get some food which he politely told me was too much and not necessary, he assured me this money will be used to feed some of his other homeless brothers and sisters and for nothing more. Al shook my hand, said God bless and we parted ways.

The meeting with Al reminded me that any one’s situation can go from good to bad, and even the simplest pleasure like a soft warm bed should not be taken for granted.


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