Giving back and Kleenex
I'm the type of person who thinks that the holidays are all about GIVING and not receiving. I'm a firm believer that the holidays are a time for family and enjoying each others company. Life is too short and we need to live it to its fullest potential. I don't come from a wealthy family and nor am I wealthy. I am rich in other ways and that's the amazing circle of family and friends that I have in my life. I have raised all of my children to be giving people. I don't have much to give during the holidays except my time and some little things that we sometimes forget that other people may not.
Homelessness is a very real and big thing here in Florida and I can't tell you how heartbreaking and sad it is to see people sleeping on the side of a country road in the middle of winter. I know they are cold, hungry, sad, depressed, tired and although I can't do much I often find myself thinking about what I have at home that I'm not using that may just help them a little. I have handed out loaves of bread, cans of soup, sheets, blankets, anything that I had extra of to help someone out. I just think about all the times things were bad for us and the times when it could have been ME homeless and down on my luck and it makes me want to help. Remember that Golden Rule? We have been through some hard times this past year and at times getting grocery money together was hard. We got through it but some people aren't so lucky.
On my route to take my nephew to school and back is pretty much nothing but country roads and lots and lots of woods. It's very dark and creepy at 6:30 in the morning. I have taken that trip for a long time twice daily for 5 days a week so I know what is around on the roads so when I saw something on the side of the road one morning my heart sank because the closer that I got to it the more it looked like a body. My heart started racing because if you have watched any news then you know that those kinds of roads with almost nothing around is where dead bodies are found all the time. I kept asking my nephew if he could see what it was and he couldn't until we both saw the WOMAN sit straight up. I slowly passed by and she clearly had just woken up but I kept going and made my way to the school thinking about her that entire time. After I dropped him off I kept thinking about what I should do and honestly I was really nervous about stopping because you never know and being a woman alone, I was even more nervous. I went on home but by the time I got there I already had a plan. I grabbed what I could that I thought she could use along with a baseball bat just in case. I nervously drove back to where I saw her and pulled off on the opposite side of the road a ways back. She was still there but a little closer to the woods. I pulled up my big girl panties, prayed to god, and with a bag of things walked up to her. I won't go into detail about everything we talked about because she was in a terrible place and I don't feel right repeating it. I gave her some soup, a blanket, some sample size toiletries, gum, a box of tissue, and an ear. I just listened to her pour her heart out and you would think that I gave the girl a million dollars because she was very grateful that I came her way. She said that god must have sent me because I was just what she needed. I lent her my phone and she made arrangements for a safe place for HER so she could get herself straightened out because she has 6 babies that need her. I wrote my number down for her before they left with her to call me if she ever needed anything. I think about her every day and hope that she's doing well. I just wanted to share so maybe the next time you see someone down on their luck you'll remember that sometimes all they need is someone to listen and give some advice. As I said, I don't have a lot, I only gave her what's in my heart. The food and comfort items were a bonus for her. We BOTH cried and needed those Kleenex tissues that day!
Just remember others this holiday season friends. Anything and everything helps, even if it is just an ear.
Happy holidays friends!!
Homelessness is a very real and big thing here in Florida and I can't tell you how heartbreaking and sad it is to see people sleeping on the side of a country road in the middle of winter. I know they are cold, hungry, sad, depressed, tired and although I can't do much I often find myself thinking about what I have at home that I'm not using that may just help them a little. I have handed out loaves of bread, cans of soup, sheets, blankets, anything that I had extra of to help someone out. I just think about all the times things were bad for us and the times when it could have been ME homeless and down on my luck and it makes me want to help. Remember that Golden Rule? We have been through some hard times this past year and at times getting grocery money together was hard. We got through it but some people aren't so lucky.
On my route to take my nephew to school and back is pretty much nothing but country roads and lots and lots of woods. It's very dark and creepy at 6:30 in the morning. I have taken that trip for a long time twice daily for 5 days a week so I know what is around on the roads so when I saw something on the side of the road one morning my heart sank because the closer that I got to it the more it looked like a body. My heart started racing because if you have watched any news then you know that those kinds of roads with almost nothing around is where dead bodies are found all the time. I kept asking my nephew if he could see what it was and he couldn't until we both saw the WOMAN sit straight up. I slowly passed by and she clearly had just woken up but I kept going and made my way to the school thinking about her that entire time. After I dropped him off I kept thinking about what I should do and honestly I was really nervous about stopping because you never know and being a woman alone, I was even more nervous. I went on home but by the time I got there I already had a plan. I grabbed what I could that I thought she could use along with a baseball bat just in case. I nervously drove back to where I saw her and pulled off on the opposite side of the road a ways back. She was still there but a little closer to the woods. I pulled up my big girl panties, prayed to god, and with a bag of things walked up to her. I won't go into detail about everything we talked about because she was in a terrible place and I don't feel right repeating it. I gave her some soup, a blanket, some sample size toiletries, gum, a box of tissue, and an ear. I just listened to her pour her heart out and you would think that I gave the girl a million dollars because she was very grateful that I came her way. She said that god must have sent me because I was just what she needed. I lent her my phone and she made arrangements for a safe place for HER so she could get herself straightened out because she has 6 babies that need her. I wrote my number down for her before they left with her to call me if she ever needed anything. I think about her every day and hope that she's doing well. I just wanted to share so maybe the next time you see someone down on their luck you'll remember that sometimes all they need is someone to listen and give some advice. As I said, I don't have a lot, I only gave her what's in my heart. The food and comfort items were a bonus for her. We BOTH cried and needed those Kleenex tissues that day!
Just remember others this holiday season friends. Anything and everything helps, even if it is just an ear.
Happy holidays friends!!
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