We've all seen them.
You know.
The person standing on the street corner holding signs.
The ones we pass judgment on without even knowing their story.
Yeah.
"Those" people.
Today I was out preparing for my oldest's birthday. As I was driving to various stores looking for a "blizzard" style ice cream cake I noticed a guy. With a sign.
It read - "FAMILY OF 4. ANYTHING HELPS, GOD BLESS"
This was the second time I had seen him that day.
The first time I was moved with compassion but since I generally don't carry cash I went on my way dragging my three year old to the next stop.
The next time I saw him I had realized I did have cash on me. For whatever reason earlier in the week my debit card PIN was rejected. My card was locked and I had gone into the bank (again, something I rarely do) to get cash to buy gas and a little extra until the PIN issue was resolved. So, I happened to still have a $20 bill that I had overlooked earlier.
The second time I saw him I decided to go up and talk. To find out his story.
"I'm Susan. What's your name?" I asked.
"Dylan," he replied.
"Are you looking for work?" I inquired.
"We just came up from Oregon," he said, "I'm trying to find whatever I can."
We talked some more. He told me about his wife and two kids; a boy and a girl. He shared some family challenges - history of alcoholism in wife's family, they had left Oregon due to mother-in-law not being in recovery as she had let on, etc. Our conversation maybe lasted 4 or 5 minutes. I asked if he had help in the area and he told me he was attending a local church. It was daytime, cars were passing by, lots of people coming and going, so I felt comfortable talking.
I moved closer and asked Dylan, "What do you need?"
He replied, "I need $9 to pay rent today."
I pulled out the $20 and said, "Here. You're done for today."
He seemed relieved, genuinely relieved. I actually sensed his relief. It was as if a huge weight was lifted.
I can't imagine ... the stress of not being able to provide for your family, your children, yourself.
Actually, I can.
I have had to face struggles during my divorce that I never experienced before. Questions like, What do I do about bills I can't pay? How do I keep my kids safe? What if I can't do it? And on ...
So, I guess what I think is ... we don't always know "everything".
What does YOUR sign say?
