When Carlos Whittaker sat down to play an acoustic version of “God of Second Chances,” he had an unexpected guest sit-in.

It’s the people we least expect, the periphery dwellers, that seem to have the most impact on our hearts.

As the holiday season approaches, with its warped, Black Friday, mass-consumerism, buy-buy-buy “good” tidings, please remember that people like Danny exist all around us. There are people in this world with unacknowledged talents, with beautiful smiles and personalities to match, with compassion and sympathy. There are people in this world with a burning desire to do nothing more than connect.

And they’ll show up, if we open our hearts to the idea that they might not be who we expect:

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Editor: Bryonie Wise