I shed a tear :(

[ZambucaLu]

I had company over yesterday for dinner and it was such a great time seeing everyone, talking about old times, the upcoming holidays, and such. And even though it was rather cold outside, it was warm in my house amongst my family and friends.

As my son was getting ready to leave, I saw an old woman pulling a cart outside. I didn't think much of it but as my son pulled off, I noticed her coming up my driveway. When I asked if I could help her, in broken English, she asked me if I would like to buy an acorn squash from her.

My very first reply was "No, sorry, I really don't need one" and when I saw the look on her face, I quickly changed my mind and told her to hold on a minute. Inside, I had a 5, 10 and 20 dollar bill. I grabbed the $10, folded it up, handed it to her, she gave me the squash, thanked me profusely and walked away. She had no idea whether that was $10 or $1 bill that I gave her but she was full of joy in any case.

When I stepped back in my house and looked around at all I have, particularly with all my friends and family there, I shed a tear for that old lady walking on that cold day with her cart, hoping to earn a few bucks for her labor. And I thanked God for all that I am so lucky to have.

But it haunted me and in retrospect, I realized I should have just given her the $20 instead of the $10. I have spent well over $1000 on ecig stuff alone in the past year....the least I could have done was give this poor woman $20 for this worthwhile cause. And it's not like I couldn't afford it.

Well, I'm still kicking myself but trust me, if I ever see this lady again, she will get more than she hoped for and I....well I will get peace of mind.

Have a great Monday all!

Lu

[flying low]

You are a beautiful person. Lots of people would not have even bothered.

[beckah54]

That is a very sad story, Lu. It does tend to make us count our blessings when we see someone less fortunate.

Maybe giving to the local food pantry and clothing banks will help her even if you never see her again. Our local food banks are always low on goods since there are so many people out of work or trying to live on Social Security.

God bless you for caring so much.

[Stormynights]

I believe that it is the cheaters that keep people hungry in the USA. People beg that have plenty or don't use the money for food. I would never pass a hungry person and not offer them food. I am sure most people are just like me on this. Your lady seems honest. I think it is the ones that cheat that stopped you from giving her the 20.

My boss helps out with Catholic charities. A lady called her and told her they needed powdered milk. She dropped everything and went to the store and bought 2 boxes of powdered milk and some other things and took down to them. A woman was there waiting for her and grabbed both sacks when she came in the door. She was waiting for the powdered milk. Well my boss knew her. The woman lives in a $250,000 home. She found out that that woman comes down at least once a month to get food. She lives alone. This is in Oklahoma. That is a nice house here. Catholic charities isn't allowed to refuse anyone. This is just wrong. I do believe that people in nice houses can go hungry too but not as an ongoing thing in a new house.

[Kimerpuff]

Thank you Lu,
Your post makes me think of what I have and reminds me to be grateful for it all!!
When the day to day heckticness (is that a word? lol) keeps us in our daily grind, we often forget to be thankfull.

[mischiefgrrl]

That's sad, and sweet. It sounds to me like you've adopted someone.

In my old neighborhood in another city, there was a teeny tiny elderly lady who slept in a corner at the gas station to stay safe from other people. I always bought her a hot chocolate and gave her a few dollars whenever I stopped in there. I would try to bring her a plate of hot food every time I cooked a big meal and my daughter knew it was important to me to get it to this lady while it was still warm (sometimes before we would eat). I felt so bad when my job transferred me and I went out to find her one last time. She was nowhere to be found. I gave the lady inside the gas station some money and asked her to make sure our friend had hot chocolate every night. She cried and said she would make sure that happened.

If I have it to give, I'll give my spare change to people who are asking. The way I see it, something has plagued them in their lifetime to put them there. No child ever says "I want to be a drug addict when I grow up!" or "I want to beg people for change on the streets!" The stereotype of the "bum" really isn't true for most of these people. 90% of them have a mental illness that put them there. Drug addiction and alcoholism are just a side effect of their illness.

That said, I did get the story of the little lady that my soul adopted in front of the gas station. She was an immigrant who had worked "under the table" as a nanny, housekeeper, etc. her whole life. When she was too old to work anymore there was no social security to collect. Her husband passed away and she ended up on the street. She has one daughter who apparently is abusive to her so she'd rather sleep on the concrete at the gas station than be with her daughter.

[bikergirl1908]

Hey Lu,

Your story made me dig up a quote I used to use as an email signature.


"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good." Author Unknown


I love this quote but I'm not sure who coined it. Anyway, Lu thanks for sharing.

[Hellen A. Handbasket]

I'm glad you posted this Lu. Reminds us that there are opportunities every day to give someone a hand.

I know that I've been helped out a few times in my life, and I'll never forget those people. I wonder if they have any idea the impact they made in my life at that time? I hope so.


"Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have."
Jim Rohn

Have a great day Lu!!

[Mary Kay]

Lu, I hope the lady comes back and you can find it in your heart to buy some more squash from her. It seems it's important to her be able to do for herself. Thank God for kind hearts like yours.
I don't care if some people are cheats or are not. That's for better then me to judge. If they need and I have, I give. No questions or judgements. Every one is a just a few paychecks from the street. It's happened to me through no fault of my own. I managed through the good graces of others to make it back.

Once my daughter and I were driving and had just had a few slices of a pizza she bought for us. We stopped at a light and a man had a sign that said the usual..will work for food. So my daughter handed him the other half of the pizza. I was shocked! I passed out a few dollars and she said "he will probably buy booze with that!" I told her it wasn't her place to make moral judgements for other people. I gave with a good heart, what they do with it was between them and higher ups.

I lived with that all my life, mom always thought she knew what was best for everyone else. She gave with one hand and thought that it meant she controlled you with the other.

[rocketvapor]

Unfortunately, the bad apples always ruin it for everyone else. My VFW post holds an annual Christmas party for disadvantaged kids in our area. There's food, and Santa shows up in a custom sleigh (actually one of our bearded vets with a hand-made sleigh towed behing his truck!) and hands out gifts for the kids. The kids are referred to us by local social service agencies.

Sometimes, families show up in very expensive cars, with a lot of "bling" on, and take the free gifts we work hard all year to pay for, and then leave. I'm sorry, but if your kids have no presents, maybe you should sell off some jewelry, or trade in that car for a cheaper model, and do for yourselves. The parents are idiots, but the kids aren't at fault. It still sets our teeth on edge.

Ahhh....tis the season...........