When I lived in a particular city in the US, I would see beggars regularly. Some were perhaps more capable than others. There is one woman, however, that I remember vividly. She was with her child of approximately 10. Her child looked to be well cared for and fed. Her child had some type of disability, both physical and mental. She was as thin as a rail.
The night I saw her, I stopped. I took them both to a cafe and the three of us had dinner together. She initially refused to get anything for herself, but I insisted - she was so thin. She initially was silent, but as I sat with her, she slowly opened up.
Her son needed lots of extra help as a infant and young child. She had stopped working to care for her son. Her husband left last year - vanished in the night. With no income and no real way to work, she ended up losing her apartment and living on the street. Most shelters were for men only. The few who could take families had limited space and she was on a waiting list for beds. But then she worried about what she would do next? How was she really going to fix her situation? Her son needed both an education and reliable care. It's hard to do that for this child and work at the same time. It's hard to feed one person on minimum wage, let alone two.
Then we talked about a concert that had been in a park a few nights ago. She came alive talking about the music. So did her son. The light shown from their faces as they both waved their hands over bowls of hearty soup conducting an invisible orchestra.
So while there are terrible things, like gangs that organize desperate people into little horrid enterprises, sometimes a beggar is simply a person who needs help. I spent my grocery money for the week on the meal. I do not regret a penny.
The night I saw her, I stopped. I took them both to a cafe and the three of us had dinner together. She initially refused to get anything for herself, but I insisted - she was so thin. She initially was silent, but as I sat with her, she slowly opened up.
Her son needed lots of extra help as a infant and young child. She had stopped working to care for her son. Her husband left last year - vanished in the night. With no income and no real way to work, she ended up losing her apartment and living on the street. Most shelters were for men only. The few who could take families had limited space and she was on a waiting list for beds. But then she worried about what she would do next? How was she really going to fix her situation? Her son needed both an education and reliable care. It's hard to do that for this child and work at the same time. It's hard to feed one person on minimum wage, let alone two.
Then we talked about a concert that had been in a park a few nights ago. She came alive talking about the music. So did her son. The light shown from their faces as they both waved their hands over bowls of hearty soup conducting an invisible orchestra.
So while there are terrible things, like gangs that organize desperate people into little horrid enterprises, sometimes a beggar is simply a person who needs help. I spent my grocery money for the week on the meal. I do not regret a penny.
