You see yet another homeless man
on the corner for the hundredth time holding up that cardboard sign “begging”
for something. Whether it is money or food, you don’t care. You don’t even
bother to read the sign. All you see is a man holding a sign asking for a hand
out. You may feel like he can work and make a decent living just like anyone
else right? After all this is America the land of opportunity. Little do you
know that on this particular day, that man standing on the corner has a wife
and a family of three living in a rundown motel room. He only has enough money
to keep them there for a week. After 25 years of working for the same company,
he was laid off due to budget cuts. Well prepared for this, the family lives of
the emergency savings until he find another job. He managed to save enough money
to live off of for a year. After filling out countless job applications and
going to interviews week after week he has yet to receive a call back. A year
later he still finds himself unemployed and looking for work. Before long the
bills start piling up as the emergency savings fund gets smaller and smaller.
Pretty soon he isn't able to make the mortgage payment so their house goes into
foreclosure. He moves his family into a motel. With no other means to make
money, he decides to swallow his pride. “Father of three, laid off from job, a
week away from being homeless, please help” is what’s written on his cardboard
sign. As he stands there with his
cardboard sign, people begin to scream and belittle him. “Get a job!” seems to
be the most popular phrase of the day. He’s taunted, mocked, and even spit on.
To the outside world he is a man holding a cardboard sign trying to make an
easy buck. At the end of the day the man packs up his cardboard sign and heads
back to his motel room. He counts what little money he did get. $15.61. As he
looks as his wife and children sleeping in the bed, tears start to stream down
his cheeks. And as the sun sets, he looks out his window, looks up to the sky
he prays this one simple prayer….”Lord please help me”.
The
sad thing is no one cares….
Until
it happens to them.
We've
all heard the story before of boy meets girl. First comes love, then comes
marriage, then come the baby in the baby carriage. The only problem is the happily
ever after never came. After yet another argument, she finds herself alone in
her bed. He’s been gone for three days now. But she’s not worried; in fact she
is use to this kind of treatment. For her this was normal. He’s made her feel
insecure and unwanted. She knows he is cheating but is afraid to leave. Not to mention he has hit her on more than one
occasion. He taunts her about her weight
as she puts on her clothes in the morning. “You look disgusting” he says. She
holds back the tears until she can get to her car. And on the way to work she
cries and she cries. The girls constantly ring his phone at all hours of the
night. She tries to keep them at bay but it seems when one disappears, two more
pop up. The girls know that she is the
wife, yet they don’t care. In fact they make they often joke about how dumb the
wife is during their girl talk sessions. With no one else to go, she tries to
reach out for help, but it seems her friends are too busy to even notice. Her
friends seem happy so she doesn't want to be a burden. She tries to go to her
family, but all they do is tell her “I told you so”. The only solace she finds
is with a bottle of liquor and some sleeping pills. She tries to remember who she was before she
met her husband but that’s all a blur. She doesn't remember the last time she
has smiled or experienced true joy. Fed up with life, she takes her Bible, that
bottle of liquor, and those sleeping pills into the bathroom. She opens up her
Bible, reads a couple of scriptures through bloodshot eyes. She looks at
herself in the mirror and doesn't know who the girl is that is staring back at
her. Finally she says this final prayer….”God if I’m worth saving….save me” as she
downs half a bottle of pills. As she slowly slips away…..
The
sad thing is no one cares…..
Until
it happens to them.
The
message is clear….. I think it’s time we step off our island (population 1) and
really take a look around at the world around us. It’s time to start paying
attention. Pay attention to the people that are around you. Listen to the words
they are saying. So many cry out for help but it goes unnoticed because we are
so wrapped up in our problems and issues. We only care when things happen to
us. We are so focused on what we got going on that we “don’t have time” to
entertain the next persons problems. We
think helping someone always involves money. But I can tell you personally, a
kind word, a hug, and a listening ear can go a long way. Once the money is gone,
it’s gone, but the kind words that a person ingrains in your heart can last a
lifetime. That cliché “it’s the little things” is a powerful statement because
it’s truly those gestures of kindness that can change a person’s life forever.
