The Bride And The Homeless

Cummins told the Indianapolis Star that she and her fiance called off the wedding a week ago. She declined to give a reason, but she said they were left with a nonrefundable contract for the Ritz Charles in Carmel and a plated dinner for guests. Cummins said she decided that rather than throw away the food she would bring some purpose to the event and contacted area homeless shelters.

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She cheerfully greeted and welcomed her guests when they arrived Saturday. Several local businesses and residents donated suits, dresses and other items for the guests to wear. Guests also dined on chicken breast with artichokes and Chardonnay cream sauce and wedding cake. Cummins said that when she approached Araujo about donating the dinner, he agreed to what he believed was a selfless way to handle the situation. Get ready to rumble in the Punderdome! View author archive Get author RSS feed. Cummins said she is not sure yet what she will do with the wedding dress.

While handing out food to the homeless, one woman shyly told me she had “a girl problem.”

White ones, ideally, in a size 7 with a strap to help keep them on her feet, which are somewhat deformed from many days and nights living out in the cold. At the time she told me that she only had one pair of boots, the ones on her feet, which were falling apart, and she wanted to look nice for her wedding. I promised her shoes.

But, having given my own wedding shoes away some time ago, first I went to my closest friends. Alas, they all had different shoe sizes. So I turned to Facebook. And I was stunned by the generosity we found there.

Within one hour we had not only shoes, but also a veil, a cardigan, a bouquet, pantyhose, lingerie, and a shirt and tie for Marek. A hairdresser, a beautician, a manicure specialist, a florist and a photographer also contacted me and offered their services. We started receiving good wishes and prayers for the Bride and Groom from all around the world. I cried reading the incoming messages. During the World Youth Days, Pope Francis spoke, telling young people to get to work, and we listened. And in that sea every little lifeboat makes a difference.

We wanted to be such a lifeboat. I began to see people differently. Literally, because the homeless are difficult to see. They prefer to be invisible; they imitate normal life as well as they can, they want to look like everyone else, at all cost to not be different.

Especially now, in the winter, embarrassed by their circumstance they can camouflage themselves very well. For example, a man reading a newspaper with great interest at the bus station looks like at any moment he might look at his watch, get up and go to the bus. But in reality he is not in a hurry, because he has nowhere to go.

He has probably been sitting here for the last few hours, not bothered by security officers, who have no heart to throw him out into the cold. The same situation can be found by the entrance to the shopping center. A man with an old ruffled book or a woman shoving a sweater with difficulty into an overfilled shopping bag will not leave till the evening.

They pretend to make calls from broken telephones, waiting for someone indefinitely. They want the warmth, but not only the type that is coming from the heaters. I met with Sabina a few days after our first meeting. She tried on the shoes; they were perfect. And in that moment, she was not invisible or homeless.

Just a bride, feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, love and excitement for her big day. I know it will be a beautiful wedding. Aleteia has achieved what no one thought possible: This success implies a second challenge: Experts say such a thing is not possible: If you are an Aleteia reader under Our team is committed to a mission of providing articles that enrich, inspire and inform a Catholic life.

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