Wednesday, November 25, 2009

363 Days of Hell

I drive by a homeless man sitting on a bucket with a sign that says, "Will do anything for food for his family." I watch as the cars in front of me and behind me drive by like he doesn't exist. I roll down my window not afraid of what he might do but afraid that if I were in that situation I would too be sitting on that bucket watching as cars drive by looking through me not even at me. Do I exist once my love, my house, my job, my car, my dignity is gone? Do I believe that this is what God meant when he placed me on this earth to provide some type of guidance for myself and for those around me? You see I have lost the holiday spirit it has slowly been drained out of me by the selfishness of the world. How is it that we can find the holiday joy,the gratefulness, and compassion 2 days out of the year and the rest of that time be selfish individuals only looking out for #1? Was Darwin right when he said, "To eat or be eaten?" I wont believe that I wont believe that there aren't special angels put on this planet to show belief, heart, willingness, compassion, and sincerity to others just because. Why do we as human beings need a reason to be nice and show that homeless man or woman on the street corner just a little bit of compassion and give him/her their will to move forward? Why does it take two special days with the words "Thanks & Giving" or "Christ" to get us to just let go an open not only our wallets but our hearts to different causes, why can't we just be a nation of individuals helping out those around us because its the right thing to do? Don't get me wrong I can't always help but I try because if I were in that position I would hope that one person would take the time to see me as a person and not as a means to an end. 363 days of hell has broken this woman's spirit of what the holidays are truly supposed to be about. 363 days of hell has transformed the meaning of giving thanks to mean something sick and twisted. 363 days of hell will not kill the compassion in my heart, will not take away my spirit to live, and will make me grateful to my friends, family, and extended family. Because those 2 days of heaven are a illusion of what we are supposed to be grateful for. 363 days of hell will teach us all the true meaning behind the words "Human Being." 363 days of hell will shows us all that the heart, the love, and every breath that we take is the gift that we are supposed to be grateful for, is the gift we are supposed to treasure, and the gift that we are supposed to share with others. I will take my 363 days of hell and share it with those around me and remember what the true spirit of the holidays is about and not what they have turned into, will you do the same?

1 comment:

  1. I see homeless everyday on my way to work. It's pretty big here in Houston. Sometimes I'll drop a little change. Many times people, myself included, are busy trying to ensure that we ourselves don't become one of those "faceless" people on the corner with the beggar's signs. And some of use ask ourselves how did this come to be? Why is their situation so tragic and unfortunate? What separates us from them? To be honest, it's a very thin line, very thin. I have no answers. I wish there was more that could be done to alleviate this problem. Maybe the best thing any of us can do is to realize it does exist and hope and pray the answers will come. It's not just a 2-day issue. It's an issue that must be confronted everyday...

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