The people seeking financial help at our St. Vincent de Paul thrift store are forever blessing me. I hand them a fistful of forms, load them down with instructions for finding the next agency, promise them our help, and wish them luck.

They say, “Have a blessed day.”

When we invite them to pray with us, I ask God for temperate weather, fewer phone calls, and more volunteers.

They pray, “Thank you, God, for waking me up this morning.”

“No human being can tame the tongue,” says James.

This isn’t strictly true; the poor often can. I have met them. I am blessed.