Humane vs. Human???

On November 30th last year I started this blog with a story that you can find  HERE.  I’ve spoken with R. over this past year several times as he kept me up to date on what was going on with his family. To bring my readers up to date – he has found a few odd jobs over the last year but basically his family is in the same situation they were in at this time last year. Living in a very rural area with few or no jobs available, a bumpity old van that only works some of the time, and still without a well so having to haul water from the aunt’s house every day for the basic necessities. While the Washington, DC pundits may expound on the fact that the recession ended in late summer 2009, the thousands of people who are still struggling to exist just can’t see it – and neither can I.


Last week I got a call from R. asking if there was any way I could help again this year so that his kids would have some kind of Christmas. He told me that the week before he had been in the same spot with his Will Work For Food sign and a couple had pulled up to talk and pray with him. As they were standing there, a large pickup truck came by at a pretty high rate of speed and slowed down just long enough for someone to throw something out of the window at R. It was a full can of beer which came at him very quickly and hard; hit him square in one knee, sending him to the ground. The couple called 911 and he was taken to the local hospital where it was determined that a good bit of cartilage in that knee was torn. Of course the truck was going so fast that no one was able to get a license tag number. So now, in addition to the fact that any odd job he might find is probably going to involve manual labor, he won’t be able to stand or bend, etc. to do that job for awhile until the knee heals.



The first paragraph in my first blog entry went something like this: OK, I know what you’re thinking – oh just another panhandler – some of them are out there at the same spot every day. Give them any money and they’ll just buy booze with it. I have to admit that would normally be my first thought too.


Shame on me for having those kinds of thoughts. And shame on the supposed human-being who threw that can of beer out the window because I’m sure that was their thought too. What kind of legacy are we leaving for our children and grandchildren if we judge a person before we know their whole story? What has happened to being humane? Questions that as we begin this holiday season shouldn’t even have to be asked.



If you want to help R. provide Christmas for his three kids this year, please contact me. 

And thank you dear readers for sticking by me during this first year of blogging.  I'm almost to the one year point and almost to 100 followers - a giveaway is coming soon.  Blessings to all of you.