Panhandlers


[Follow Ups] [Post Followup] [Dodge Power Wagon Forum]


Posted by Clint Dixon [74.206.62.94] on Friday, November 26, 2010 at 17:31:50 :

So Martie and I were out in the Black Friday crowds today picking up a few things and mainly just getting some entertainment out of watching the power shoppers. We started about noon, so we missed the hoards that were out around sunup.

We were leaving one of the box stores on a service road and there on the boulevard was a panhandler. I usually do not pay much attention to these folks. Even when I do take time to consider their actions, I am usually traveling with traffic too fast to slow down and risk causing an accident. I admit that I have been thankful for the excuse to keep moving.

This fellow was dressed in worn but clean clothes, barely warm enough for the below freezing temperatures of midday, and holding the usual cardboard sign that indicated he was a homeless veteran. The light ahead was staying green for very short periods of time, so I had a little time to study him. He would reach out to those passing by and accept the loose change or greenbacks they offered and he always returned a word of acknowledgment. The rest of the time he seldom made eye contact with those who did not offer assistance instead remaining bowed to the chilly wind.

I always feel caught between a rock and a hard place when I see these people. One part of me wants to trust that people are basically honest and that no one would ask for money like that if they really were not down and out. The other part of me says to turn away, that it is all just a scam.

Something about this man really got my attention. Maybe because it is the season to be thankful and the start of the season of giving. Maybe because I was wearing my cap that is emblazoned with Old Glory, and I myself was lucky enough to come of age when my country did not require my immediate service. He certainly appeared the right age to have served in Vietnam even though nothing he had written on that cardboard indicated such. As we got closer, I saw that he was not wearing gloves and his hands looked not only cold but like those that had seen more hard work pass through the fingers than green paper.

I had just this morning reached up in the laundry room cupboard and pulled out a new pair of yellow cotton chore gloves. As we passed buy this gentleman, I reached out and handed the gloves to him. You should have seen the look on his face. It was one of mixed feelings. I saw astonishment, relief, gratitude, loneliness, and excitement. He looked me right in the eye, thanked me, and asked God to bless me.

If this man was an actor, he is destined for greatness, because he is as good as they come. If not, I hope his hands are a little warmer tonight. Either way it means the same to me. He now has one of many pairs of gloves I once owned. This particular pair never kept my hands warm but ended up warming something a little closer to the core. And, today, I have one more thing to be thankful for.

Junior





Follow Ups:



Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:
Subject:
Message:
Optional Link
URL:
Title:
Optional Image Link
URL:


This board is powered by the Mr. Fong Device from Cyberarmy.com