As I was driving home from grocery shopping the other day (thinking of course how in the heck did I manage to spend that much and only leave the store with four bags)it occurred to me that it's getting colder. A lot colder up north especially and while so many of us are worried about keeping our homes and making our bills, giving kids a decent Christmas and all that entails there are people with no homes. Living with no warmth or even a shelter let alone presents and holiday joy. It is so easy to get caught up in our worries and concerns and so easy to forget about all of those around us who don't have even the basics. While I might not have much I surely have more than enough when I think about it this way. I have a home, food, and I am able to care for and feed my pet. On the way out of the store there was a man with a sign "will work for food". I have seen him and a few others living in the woods behind the supermarket and I usually drive on my way. That day I had gotten back a five dollar bill in my change and I gave it to him. I did have some initial hesitation and even some remorse over it thinking that he might use it for liquor or something like that. Then I thought heck he can use it for whatever it wants if it makes his life a bit more bearable. The following day at work I gave three drinks to a gentleman who was performing outside at the shopping complex I work in. He said thank you and went back out to sing. At the end of my shift he came back in and shook my hand with a folded five dollar bill in it. I'm thinking that was a sign.
If I ever come into a whole mess of money I have a plan. I'm going to buy a huge plot of land and hire or brow beat a bunch of contractors and people who "build things" into employment. Then I'm going to go and find all the people in shelters and on the sides of the roads with those "will work for food" signs and I'm going to team them up with the people who "build things" to make second chance communities. Show them how to build, then how to farm/garden. Just give them a chance and somewhere clean to live. Now I'm not saying it'll be all hunky dory because if they don't keep up their homes or if they slack off then they can head right on back out where they came from. However I am betting that a lot of them would be hard workers and willing to take advantage of their second chance. There might be plans to start a huge animal shelter and offer training to work with animals..therapy pets maybe? That's still in the back of my mind somewhere but I'm positive it could work. I think anything could work if we all were just a bit more compassionate and kind. If we just gave each other a chance.
All those millionaire/billionaires out there here's your chance to make your mark. I can only pray that one of you read this random blog post and take my idea and run with it. I promise you would still have enough left to buy that new Lexus/Mercedes/Ferrari. Just think of all the lives it would change for the better.
