So much pain, so much despair, so much for hope.
There are times when you look around and see the faces of the needy, the homeless - faces you’ll never forget. Your initial instinct is to think to yourself: “I’m so lucky to not be in their shoes.” Perhaps wishing there was something you could do to change the circumstance in which those souls find themselves in… but you have no idea where to begin.
It hurts to feel helpless - to know there has to be a solution but no one really knows what that might be.
Mothers, Fathers, Sisters & Brothers, not to mention all those with absolutely no family to lean upon… all with no place to call home. Finding steady work is elusive. Those who aren’t presently employed need not apply. It’s another form of rabid discrimination. Those that are stuck in this life don’t know the meaning of fair - it doesn’t apply to the homeless. Their lens of the world is warped. Here they stand with no prospects to change their circumstance.
How did they get here - what was the path they took? How did they slip so far. How did they become statistics & how long did it take before they stopped feeling human.
What promise of a better future do these homeless kids have - where will their next meal come from. Will they be able to keep focused in class or even continue to go to school. Will they excel or will they stumble?
How can we change this horrific epidemic of circumstances. Can one person make a difference with baby steps of influential and repeatable actions - one at a time.
Too many are left alone to slip through the cracks. Random Acts of Kindness just scratch the surface of need. To be most effective, solutions need to be long term.
Who will step out & be a voice of the nameless & faceless in our society - who will walk the path towards a time when every life has equal value & everyone who wishes to work will be able to do so.
There’s a long windy road ahead. Are you in? Or will you stand and watch from the sidelines. Please consider all the options available to you to help make a difference. Let the stories of the homeless be heard, again and again, so they will never be forgotten.
2 comments:
I know it isn't much, but I have to believe that even doing a little, can help a lot. The dollar that my kid gives to the homeless man outside of the MCM in St. Paul? Sure, it won't buy him much, but it's better than nothing right?
I firmly believe that the little things add up to bigger things...if only everyone would stop & do something, no matter how insignificant it may seem...and if those that are in need of help would graciously accept...one day at a time, things can get better.
Hope is what the world needs, and people need the affirmation that they are significant because who they are. Our culture says you are important if you are making a contribution or are beautiful or smart or an athlete. But what about when you're wounded, disabled, a victim of the changes in the workplace, elderly, etc. Value is innate and we need to affirm that by listening, by standing alongside those who are struggling, who are neglected or forgotten.
Good thoughts in this blog... keep saying "it matters" what we do, because it does.
e.
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