Life Lessons

A few weeks ago at BSF, someone mentioned taking bags of food whenever she went into the city to give to homeless people.  She said a friend of hers had asked how she found homeless people to give them to.  Um, walk down the sidewalk?  She was shocked that someone could be so blind to what is all around us.

So yesterday we went into Chicago to the Christkindlmarket.  By the time we got in there, it was lunchtime, so we found the closest McD's and had lunch.  We were on the second story by the window, and Hope was looking at all the people on the sidewalk.  She asked David why "that man is just sitting there". That was the only homeless person that I know she noticed; she may have noticed others- I saw several just in the three or four hours we were there.

Rather than driving all the way in and paying all the tolls and parking fees, we drove to the closest L line and took the train.  More adventurous for the kids, cheaper, and easier than trying to find parking downtown.  It was about a half-hour trip on the train, and it was pretty busy both ways.

On the way back, Hope and David ended up standing behind my seat at the back of our car.  During the trip, a man walked into the car from the one behind us, and walked up to the middle of the car.  He started talking and said he was licensed and bonded in something- I wasn't really paying attention since he started talking about 30 seconds after the recorded message that soliciting isn't allowed on the train.  He said he was having a tough time finding work, and asked for help finding work, for any fare cards, extra food, spare change.  I had packed several granola bars for the kids to snack on and we still had a few, so I dug 'em out and gave them to David to take up to the guy.  Hope was in the aisle, so David had her take them over to him.  He said thank you and that was it.  He sat down for a few minutes, and when an older lady got on the train, I noticed that he immediately stood up and asked her if she wanted his seat.

When we got off the train, he was walking past us.  As Hope passed him, he looked straight at her and said "bless you" and smiled at her.  As we were leaving the terminal, she asked me if I'd heard all that the guy had said.  She'd just heard him say if you have any extra food, but wanted to know what else he was talking about in the beginning of his plea. 

As I thought about it later, it struck me how, when we care about a person or a cause, we want to help.  Grandma would never dream of helping the mexicans, until she knew a family who needed help who happened to be hispanic.  Then she bought a bunch of groceries for them and got the kids signed up for toys from the church. When we know the need of someone or something we care about, then the desire to help is usually there.

But sometimes, if we help first, then we start to care.  Hope didn't care what this guy was talking about at first.  But once she helped him, however minimally, then she was interested.  Then she cared how he got to that point.  Then she wanted to know what he had to say.  Maybe that's the key.  Maybe we don't need to educate society on the perils of poverty.  Maybe we just need to start helping.  After that, society might educate itself.