Ever had only five dollars to your name with no other sure outcome of income coming your way? Ever been so hungry you’d eat sticks & grass? Ever been so tired you could fall asleep under a busy overpass? Ever been so thirsty you didn’t care what the water looked like? Ever been so hot & sweaty you couldn’t stand your own stench? Ever been down to your last meal, but you split it with your buddy? Ever been so close to death all you could think about was one more breath? I wonder, I really wonder how many in their privileged & pampered world could answer yes to even one of those questions.
There are quite a few new readers to this blog & I thank you for spending some time here. Those that know me know I have been homeless several times in my life, some by choice, some by chance & some for cause, but every time I learned something that even though I couldn’t understand then….I’m grateful for now.
I left home at 16, the first, but certainly not the last time I hit the hi-way for greener destinations. At this stage of my life I am far, far from that feeling of uneasiness & unknowing. Because thru all those trials & tribulations, thru all the tears & triumph’s, I realize they had purpose.
I can answer yes to all those questions in the 1st paragraph, some with multiple yes’s. But, I am far, far from those early days of feeling homeless, hungry, thirsty, tired & out of breath. You see for even if I find myself in troubled times again…..I will never feel hapless, hopeless & homeless because I have confidence, extreme confidence in my faith in God, my knowledge & abilities as well as the kindness & generosity of most of my fellow man kind.
The homeless situation in this country has gotten way outta hand. And my opinions & knowledge born of experience & research are documented thruout various posts in this blog, but those thoughts & feelings changed a bit yesterday as I saw a side of homelessness I hadn’t seen before.
I went for a walk & found several homeless camps, all unoccupied at the time, but none the less every bit active encampments. One in particular was one of the main camps. Set back off the road a bit in the woods there were 6 tents and so much trash it looked more like a dump site rather than a camp site. I will have to go back & get some pics to justify my “dump site” comment but you’ve seen the news reports, videos & pictures….this was a site I never seen when I was on my solitary travels.
Today many of the homeless are homeless cause they wanna be. There’s a segment of useless, ungrateful, lazy, theiving, drug & alcohol abusing scum bags that dominate the news cycles & what we see, hear & think about the homeless. And then there’s the silent majority who are just trying to find their way & survive another night.
The degenerates that are wreaking havoc on the streets of the homeless today are however a product of our society. We cannot cast blame on someone who has been exposed to our own shameless greed & deeds. But, we all make our choices in life & just like the privileged businessman who throws out his Starbucks cup on the side of the road, so the ungrateful vagabond sleeps in his dump site. They are both the same internally only the external perception is different…both contribute to the fasad of our Nation.
There are simple explanations & solutions to our most misunderstood & complex issues. But keep this thought in mind in your daily quests & life’s journey… Before you cast ridicule on the less fortunate, take heed of your own fortune & don’t take it for granted, your life can change in so many ways in an instant & it may be you out there one day scraping for your next meal.
But just as important….to those less fortunate out there…don’t give the privileged the ability & the reason to despise you…take care of what little house you have even if it’s just a back pack…clean up yourself & clean up after yourself. Don’t expect me to give you food for your belly & then clean up your crap afterwards.
Let’s work this out & work together to strengthen & clean up our Nation….from the classiest country clubs to the meanest darkest streets…so different, yet so same. What good does it do to drive to the Hollywood Hills when you gotta go through slums to get there? The whole drive should be safe & clean, but we gotta lotta work to do….and it’s more than any one person can possibly do alone.
The goodness in our country will prevail if we hold to Gods teachings, our faith in a better world to come & approach our issues from compassion & understanding. The evil in this world will be destroyed & fade into distant memory so it can not pollute our recent thoughts. It’s just a matter of when, not if.
I pray for a better world, I know it is at hand & I hope you’re along for its glorious ride. Be safe & be grateful. 🙏✝️🇺🇸🦅😎🐝
Ezekiel 34:17-31 }…… Book of Titus
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