Monday was the first day of Thanksgiving vacation, so Fox and I decided to go see Methuselah, the 4,851 year old tree that both Hafiz and Pavi had raved about. It exceeded all expectations. Something about hugging a tree that can hold 30 people around its huge trunk humbled and inspired me. I could sense that Fox was affected as well, but I can't quite articulate how.

When we hiked down the trail to get a better perspective, we found a small hut that someone had built out of branches. Fox climbed into the hut and said, "Dad, can we do a homeless walk today?"

I said what I always say when my sons ask me something that is not what I really want to do, "Maybe."

After driving down the hill, we went out to lunch with my cousin and his daughter. Waiting for our food, Fox asked if he could have a quarter to play with. When we finished our meal, Fox walked up to the bus boy and said, "I have a tip for you," and gave him the quarter.

We then went to Baskin and Robbins for ice cream, where we paid for an extra cone to give anonymously to the next customer. While licking his ice cream, Fox asked, "Dad, can I have a dollar?"

"What for?" I asked.

"I'm going to put it on the windshield of a car in the parking lot," he said with a smile.

Something about the visit to Methuselah had awoken our hearts to just keep giving.

Later, that day, Fox said, "We need to go buy things for our homeless walk."

I wanted to say, "We'll do a homeless walk another day," but instead I simply drove to Daiso, thinking we would buy some things to save for another day. It was early afternoon, and I figured Fox would forget about it when we got home.

After dinner, Fox said, "Dad, we need to leave for the homeless walk now."

I had no reason to say no , so we headed to St. James Park in San Jose. When we arrived, there wasn't anyone in the park. I figured the authorities had cracked down on the homeless and told them to leave, but we were there, so we decided to walk around and see if we could find anyone to give our supplies to.

Walking through the dark park, we saw and heard a lot of movement on the ground. Suddenly, a huge rat jumped off a bench and ran right in front of us. The whole park was infested with rats. Fox walked through a pile of dead leaves and accidently stepped on one. He was screaming and jumping up and down long after the rat ran away.

We found a person experiencing homelessness whose belongings had been torn apart by the rats. All his food was contaminated and his clothes were strewn all over the dirt path. We gave him new socks and a rain coat, but he was still in shock over how aggressive the rats were.

Another man sleeping on the grass, said that there weren't any rats a year ago. He was the only person sleeping on the grass. We found most of the people experiencing homelessness on the sidewalk of a street bordering the park.

We offered socks, towels, and lotion to two men. One of the men who was apparently mute signaled to us that he was thirsty.

"I don't have any water, but I will go look in my car," I said.

While walking back to the car, another man sleeping on top of a cardboard box, said, "He can have my water," and handed me an unopened bottle of water.

I was in awe that this person who had so little would be so generous. I gave the bottle to the mute man who smiled and bowed his head.

Driving home, Fox asked, "Can we go on a homeless walk during Christmas break, Dad?"

Even the rats didn't deter his heart of service. I have no idea how these small acts of kindness will affect 9 year old Fox, but I am grateful for the opportunity to share these experiences with him. I am grateful for this amazing community for your guidance and role modeling. We wouldn't have had this amazing day without you.