S & H GREEN STAMPS

What makes one man think he is better than another? Why it is prejudice coupled with ignorance. Someone once said, ''A man thought he was better than me, and he was, until he thought it.'' Makes one think, doesn't it? Prejudice and ignorance seem to march hand in hand.

A few years ago, I found myself in a very difficult situation. It was when I was working part-time at a company which hired temporary employees. Because of the nature of the business, it attracted people who were in-between jobs, or in-between no-jobs, and even people who were down-and-out. Many of the clients who came to the company were homeless or on welfare. Some were illiterate and others had only a few years of education. I recall one man was just out of prison and others were drifters. Several were here from foreign lands and spoke very little English. Many single women with children came who were desperate to earn a living. It was quite a collection of humanity.

For some reason, my heart was touched by each of their situations and, although it was challenging, I enjoyed trying to find work for them. I respected their desire to earn a living—as humble as it might be—and to become independent and self-supporting. The office staff, however, had worked there for many years and had grown weary of the difficult cases which showed up at the door. They considered many clients to be "throw-aways," "disposable," "of little worth." They were generally tolerant of the clients, face to face, that is, but were very degrading about them soon as they left. I found this to be distasteful and began to feel compassion for them. I grew more and more interested in the plight of the ''weary traveler''—so to speak, and my desire to treat them with respect hightened.

My heart felt heavy over this situation, until one Sunday, as I was sitting in church listening to a speaker, my mind was wandering when I heard the speaker say the word "redemption." REDEMPTION! REDEEMABLE! Why that is it! S & H Green Stamps—they are redeemable. We are redeemable. All people are like S & H Green Stamps. Redeemable!

Soon after that, two middle aged men, drifters, who were obviously good friends and had a great amount of respect for each other, entered the office. It became my responsibility to give them an initial interview and test. The written test was administered and one of the men failed miserably. It was humiliating for the man; and the two of them sat in silence for a few minutes when one man spoke up and said, "He might not be able to pass this test but he is very good with his hands." It was one of the most tender moments I have ever witnessed between two friends. They knew the worth of each other and they each valued their friendship. They indeed were like S & H Green Stamps. They were redeemable! Thank goodness we are all redeemable and of great worth.