Homeless

My sister and I drove to the east side to watch Tyler in his Forensics meet.  (He did great, by-the-way!)  We arrived early so we decided to swing by Starbucks.  Today's temperature has been in the low 20's and I'm sure it was colder with the wind chill and tonight we are expecting another 3-6 inches.  Less than a block away from Starbucks, by a high traffic stop sign on a street that runs by a small shopping center, was a man holding a sign that said, "homeless, anything will help."

This man had no gloves.  He was wearing a rather old and torn denim material, tan-ish, coat that I'm sure was nice at one point in time.  He had on what a appeared to be a fishing type hat.  Sometimes you can look at a person and just know that what you see is real.  Of course, I'm not deluding myself that I haven't been 'suckered' but, there's no harm in feeding a person, which is what I did.  At Starbucks I purchased a sausage and cheese sandwich and a grande regular coffee.  My sister and I drove by and lowered the window and offered him the food and drink, words of encouragement and kindness.  It made me feel good.   He was very thankful, too - and most of all - he was very sincere.  His face was so red from the cold and the wind and I cannot seem to get that out of my mind.

Back home I called the police department to ask if I should request an officer swing by to check on this individual.  I found out that anyone with a sign is doing what's known as 'panhandling.'  And, it's illegal.  Oddly, it's something I see very frequently at the Sam's parking lot on the west side of town.  The lady on the phone told me that an officer could drive by when I report a homeless person but, if the homeless person is an adult the officer will not take them anywhere - because they are adults, after all, and can make their own decisions.  She did give me a list, at my request, of places I can suggest they call or hop on the bus and take a ride to:  St. John's homeless shelter, Paul's Pantry, Salvation Army, or the Crisis Center.  I am going to make a few 'business' type cards with that info and contact #'s and pass them out if I feel a person might really be in need. 

I have no doubt this fellow will hop on the city bus and go to one of those places.  At least, that's what I need to believe in order to go about the rest of my day, in my roomy, warm home, with a stocked pantry and fridge, electricity, TV's in so many rooms I'm embarrassed, etc.  I know my husband and many other folks don't spare a second glance or give nary a thought to the circumstances that lands one on a street corner advertising that 'anything can help.'  Some, I'm sure, have a choice to be there or not.  But, my heart softens for the ones that really cannot help themselves - age being a big factor.  And, this guy looked to be in his 60's, at least. 

There's a quote my granny used to say often, and I'm sure many of you have heard it.  However, I hold no stock in the God part (my apologies to those who are shocked) and I say:  There but for the sake of circumstance, go I.  There are so many paths to choose from in life, choices to make, you'd better make the right one;  Else your circumstances could be those shared by others instead of your own.  Most importantly, learn to recognize when you're on a fall - and switch course quick before you wind up at the bottom of the bog.

I have much to be thankful for, for example: that I have made some fairly decent choices in my life.  And, that I should choose to help another - who deserves it or not- has made me a better person for I have taken the time, this moment, to stop my hustle and bustle to reflect on what could've been my life had I made poorer decisions.  Of course, I do know that sometimes we are simply dealt a hand that has not a thing in the world to do with any decisions we make -  and that's called an unfortunate circumstance.  And, I know that I could be dealt that hand at any time in my life - and there's a lot of life left to live.  That is an important reason why I believe folks (like my husband) shouldn't be so quick to dismiss a person because of how they look, where they live, etc. 

Lesson learned:  life can be fickle.  Take nothing for granted.