I helped out a homeless friend yesterday.....

[Wetzelbill]

Nothing much,but when I went to get my mail I saw this homeless guy Bill who my younger brother befriended a year or so ago. Bill and his friend Tom, who is virtually helpless, both live on the street, they used to live in the back of a pickup trailer bed that a fruit and veggie stand owner let them use, but he has since moved on. So now these two poor guys just sleep out on a dry creek bed a few miles down from where I live. Here and there, during the last year, we would allow Bill and Tom to come in and get something to eat or drink or just kill some time.

Anyway, when he saw me yesterday he asked me if I could spare some change, about a buck fifty. Well, I didn't have anything on me and wasn't sure if I did have any change, as I just usually use my debit card for purchases. So, I brought him up to my apt. and as luck would have it I scrounged up some nickels, dimes and quarters and gave him a buck fifty. He didn't want anything to eat but I also gave him several cans of Pepsi and coke, because it's been murderously hot out and I'm sure they could use something to drink. It wasn't much, but I was glad to give a little, as I don't have a whole lot myself anyway.

The thing that I'm getting at is I believe we should all be good to others. It's why I am a Democrat and why I believe in what our party is supposed to stand for. It's important to help others less fortunate than you are. The bible is rife with stories of good men taking in travelers and guests and treating people in need with dignity. I hold that concept dear to my heart.

Because if you can't help a fellow human being in their time of need, then what kind of person does that make you?

So, I know things are tough for us politically now. But we are the democratic wing of the Democratic Party. Which means we are the compassionate, loving and inclusive moral center of our country. Elections come and go, but what is in your heart and soul never dies unless you allow it to.

So, keep fighting and keep being true to what we believe in.

In the end, all the other stuff will take care of itself.

[trof]

1. Charity definitely begins at home.

Good on ya.
I'd rather do something that might make a diference in one someone's life than write a check to some mega charity.

[Wetzelbill]

26. exactly

devolve it down to the individual.

[redqueen]

2. Well said...

:hi:

[Wetzelbill]

27. thank you

[Cobalt Violet]

3. Your lucky he asked for spare change.

Last week a homeless friend of mine took all my change without asking while I was at work. I too live off my change but would have given it to her if she had asked. Now I don't want to help her again. Now I feel bad that I helped someone. I told her she is no longer welcome here. I feel bad because I know it's so hot out.

[Wetzelbill]

12. wow, that's too bad

Yeah, I really can't allow these guys in my house for long anymore. Tom has a problem with his bowels and will just shit his pants out of nowhere. And, he refuses to change them too, plus he refuses to wash his hands when using the bathroom too. So, I try to be as good as possible without being taken advantage of or anything.

[Sequoia]

4. Don't usually quote the Bible but.....

"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Matthew 25: 31-46

[faithnotgreed]

14. thank you sequoia...

there it all is

[Wetzelbill]

25. that was great

thanks

[Greyhound]

5. Hear, Hear...

I can't tell you how many times I've been ridiculed for doing this kind of thing. F*ing amerikans.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. :^) *hugs*

[Wetzelbill]

7. you always make me blush GPV

:)

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. Doh! Don't blush for doing what is right and good hon. ;^D

[Wetzelbill]

11. And you always make me smile too

:) Couldn't forget that could I? Thanks for the kind words.

[Ariana Celeste]

9. That's awesome!

Good for you for doing what's right! My brother and I have always tried to do the same, and we would always get the usual "They only spend it on liquor." bullshit. I could care less! If that's what they want to do, that's fine by me. If I were homeless, I'd love to get a good buzz on, too. I'd also give out food and cigarettes. Seemed like a couple of cigarettes and a book of matches were always appreciated the most.

Everybody needs some help sometimes. If you've never needed help, than good for you- enjoy it while it lasts because it won't always be that way. At least that's how I feel.

Thanks for being a good person. :hug:

[Wetzelbill]

10. you're welcome

He used it to by a beer and he told me he was going to. But still, the guy needed some help, and I gave him some other stuff too. Yeah, we all need help from time to time. :)

[Wetzelbill]

13. You know you are bored when you kick your own thread

or starved for attention. :)

[faithnotgreed]

16. well i will give you some very well deserved attention

thank you so much for your love and compassion
what do we have if we dont have that
what do we really have if we dont share it

hugs and thanks for you and everyone who reaches out to the least among us

[Wetzelbill]

18. thank you very much

[SmokingJacket]

15. Thanks for the reminder.

We might lose politically, but that doesn't mean we can't do our good work in other arenas.

I've been enjoying your posts, btw.

:hi:

[Wetzelbill]

17. thank you very much

From time to time, I actually say something worthwhile. :) Glad you like 'em.

[AuntieM1957]

19. the mentally ill have no place to go in this country

ironic isn't it that a brain disease did in the conservative icon Reagan?

He's personally responsible for so many of this unfortunate and truly ill people wandering around - like your friend. Closing shelters, cutting off aid, etc. - a real legacy of pain.

Karma may not always be instant - but it is inevitable.

I admire your patience with these unfortunates.

[Wetzelbill]

20. For a second I thought you wrote "the mentally ill have no place in this

country." I was just like:"Oh no! A freeper!." haha.

Thanks a lot for the words. Yeah, Reagan began a very selfish, insensitive revolution in our country. Now, it's in fashion to be a hard hearted bigot. It really is a shame.

[AuntieM1957]

23. What a shame that we're so afraid of them

yesterday, I was having a haircut & one of the stylists came up and asked if certain vehicle was mine.

My nerves went immediately on edge - thinking it was likely to be a confrontation about my bumper stickers.

So wrong - he liked them - we enjoyed a nice chat & I was able to provided some information he was looking for about local Democrat clubs.

Part of what he and I discussed was people's fear of the GOP/Fox loving crowd. I think of them as the former playground bullies.

[Wetzelbill]

24. Punch a bully in the mouth.....

:)

[Greyhound]

28. Damn, I remember when that bastard, may he rot in hell, did that...

I lived in Denver and 3 or 4 houses in my area were just closed with 30 days notice and the residents were just dumped in the street. It was just tragic, these were harmless, sweet, people that, for one reason or another, just couldn't quite make it without some supervision. One of the guys from the home I used to hang out with had, what I now know to be, Down's Syndrome. He was pretty articulate and always loved it when anybody talked with him. He was one of those deemed marginal and they just found him a room to rent, gave him his check, and turned him loose. I found him, sitting on the floor of the Dairy Queen with about $40 worth of variously consumed, Peanut Buster parfaits around him. I told him he'd get a stomach ache if he ate that many parfaits, and got the manager to agree to keep an eye on how many they'd sell him, but there was just no way he could handle things like buying groceries, or making his check last to the end of the month, or paying the rent on time. It was so sad, I still get choked up when I think about him. Of course, I just stopped seeing him around after awhile. :cry:

[Wetzelbill]

29. awww, wow.....

That is cold. I had another homeless neighbor who was like that. He got about approximately the same amount of money to live off of that I do, plus he'd get Section Eight for rent, and Food stamps too, but I'm a relatively poor college student, he was a disabled person who couldn't take care of himself. I get by ok, but I have the discipline and mental faculties so do so, you know? This poor guy would go out and gamble 4 or 5 hundred away and that would be all the money he had to live off of. He didn't pay his rent for months and just ended up living in the street. He was a decent person, but he had to take meds and couldn't take care of himself otherwise. Just like the person you mentioned he just had no ability to comprehend money like that. He was upset because he tried to get a loan for 200 thousand dollars and he couldn't figure out why the bank turned him down. It was sad. I haven't seen him either, in over a year. I feel you on all that. It pains me greatly to know there are others out there in need. Thanks for sharing that story and replying to this thread. :)

[LeftyMom]

21. Thanks for that

I used to be of the opinion that it was best to give to organized charities rather than to people, but one evening while walking home from dinner LeftyDad and I met an man and his two kids who needed a little money for a room for the night. They said they had just moved here and had made arrangements for a place to stay with relatives which hadn't panned out and he needed a room just for the night until he got his first paycheck the following day (this was a thursday night) and could sign papers on the apartment he and his two sons were getting.

They'd looked into shelters, but none allowed men and children in the same space, even if they could get a spot for the night and he didn't feel comfortable leaving the boys alone among strangers. Having been raised by my father myself, that broke my heart. I gave them what I had on me and wished I could do more.

I've since come to the conclusion that it's better to give freely to people we meet, even if a few may be ripping us off, than to harden our hearts and tell ourselves it's better to keep our wallets closed because the money will wind up at the liquor store or trust that charities and government will provide for people's needs.

[Wetzelbill]

22. you're welcome

So true. Better to do your best, rather than to completely shut down your heart to these things. If somebody rips you off for a few dollars, that shouldn't stop you for making the day of someone else who is genuinely in need. Nice story. :)