Weary and Worn and Sad

 He stood by the side of the road as I waited for the traffic light to change.

He carried a bit of old cardboard with just two words.


We all know the game: close the passenger side window, and avoid eye contact.

But I couldn't.  He was forty something. His clothes were long past the "for sale" date.

He was weary and worn and sad.  

I reached for my bill fold. It contained six dollars. I gave him five. He thanked me and wished me a "blessed day".  

I have no idea why I kept $1 for myself.

Zion and I drove on to the Park.  We walked. Zion pooped. 

The man's weary worn and sad face stayed with me. I couldn't escape it.  

On my way home I stopped at a convenience store and bought a large sub/grinder/hoagie sandwich and big bottle of cold lemonade.

Thank goodness the man was still at his pitch.  I circled around and handed the sandwich and lemonade to him. 

He responded "that's fantastic".

I drove away with my all too familiar teary eyes.  God help me if I cannot weep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some say that we should not give  money to panhandlers. They (we are told) will use the money for booze or drugs.  SO WHAT.  When we make a gift it  should be with  no concern as to how that gift is used.  GIFTS ARE GIVEN UNCONDITIONALLY  whether they are to Great Aunt Tillie on her 92nd birthday, or to a Panhandler.

Who are we to make moral judgements about the use of small monetary gifts to panhandlers, forgetting that we often make impulse purchases of "stuff" that we do not  need.; and forgetting that we could well be a hungry panhandler 


.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In a State of Shock. From 8:00 - 2:00 today

Image
  Please no 'phone calls.  PLEASE!  (but this news is not private) At 8:00 this morning I took Zion to a local  Veterinarian for a scan of a mass on his jaw. By 12:30 the Vet phoned me with this shocking and unexpected news.  (see below)   How odd that a scan for a lesser issue should reveal the bad news.   I think that the scan was providential. I could have taken him home for what would have been his last two to three possible miserable days but I  decided to say goodbye to Zion there and then.  I stayed with him to the end at 2:00 p.m. I am in shock.  I am grateful for six fantastic years together.  I rejoice that he brought joy to so many people. His remains will be returned to me to be buried near my home, with a flowering shrub planted over them. Thanks for your care John Michael Povey Hello Michael,   I will show you the images when you arrive but essentially what we see on the CT is that he has multiple masses on his spleen and several in his lungs, additionally he has flui
Read more

Utterly Wonderful

Image
  80 years equals family Fifty plus of us. My five remaining sibs and their spouses. Nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews. Cousins, second cousins, third cousins A joyful and relaxed family reunion. Super food. Great food for children with activities for them too, including face painting. This 80-year-old child wore a birthday coronet and insisted on having his face painted. A marvelous family reunion; and the greatest celebration of my four score years.
Read more