Archive for December, 2009

What Went Wrong?

This post is inspired by the amazing Jessica Gottlieb’s post from today. It got me thinking as I shared my story in her comments. I couldn’t help but wonder “What went wrong?” I am a sucker for a sad story and I am a person who’s heart breaks for many other people. I just have a very soft and giving heart inside of the tough lining.

Where I am from you rarely see a homeless person, or a pan handler. It’s not common. Even though it’s a bigger city, there are just alot of resources and jobs. It’s not common. Although growing up I did see my fair share of people rolling carts full of aluminum cans to the can exchange for money, this was not homeless people, just people looking for extra money.

My first experience with homeless people was when I visited Milwaukee. I see a few, but it was daytime and it wasn’t excessive. They were not sleeping on benches or in parks. They were walking down the streets, so it didn’t really hit me I guess. My bigger experience was more recently when I visited Las Vegas. They are everywhere! When you come out of stores, they are there. When you come out of malls, they are there. When you visit parks, they are there. I gave away my fair share of change when I was there. I couldn’t help it. Despite the company I was with telling me that some of them did NOT in fact need it and it was a “lifestyle” they used to get money. It broke my heart.

Recently on our way to the grocery store, my husband and I see a man with a sign that said “Will Work 4 Food”. I felt horrible. He was standing there in a jacket and hat, but no mittens. It’s about 10 degrees not considering our wind chill. It’s cold in the midwest. Across the street was a gas station. I asked my husband to stop. I entered and bought a sandwich, a Gatorade and $2.00. I walked across the street and handed it to the man. I didn’t want to hear his story. I didn’t want to hear that I was being taken advantage of, I didn’t want to hear why he needed food. I fear I may not have been able to handle it. As I handed the items to the man, he said “Thank you, this is the first meal I’ve had in 4 days.” I couldn’t even begin to imagine!

“Merry Christmas to You.” I also was sure to tell him that the local church does meals everyday so that he could get a meal everyday. “I hope something comes along for you and things get better.”

He bowed his head and said “Thank you. God Bless You.”

That was all I needed. I felt humbled. But I still feel sad for this man. Just as Jessica’s post says… This man is someone’s baby, someone’s son, and someone loves him. Someone rocked him, someone kissed him….

Something to think about this holiday season…