Sitting at Starbucks (again), I silently asked the Lord to bring me inspiration for today’s blog.  He was quick to answer prayer as I suddenly noticed a man picking through the garbage can on the other side of the window where I sat.

He was an older man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt (in 80 degree weather) with the hood pulled over his head and a cigarette in his left hand.  He dug through without seeming to notice or even care that a small group of people sitting in the patio area where he dug was watching him.  No one offered assistance, spare change, or even pleasant conversation.

Moments later, a manager appeared and escorted him off the premises.  He didn’t put up much of a fight, but he did manage to look in a second trashcan as he was being thrown out.  Talk about tenacity.

When I see people living on the streets digging through trashcans or asking for help next to freeway off ramps, I feel two things: helplessness and wonder.

I feel helpless because I don’t have the resources to feed, clothe, or house them.  I could brush it off by thinking that it’s not my problem to solve, but so long as I’m a fellow human being, it is my problem to solve.  I suppose that in a situation like this it’s better to at least try to help than to not help at all.

And while I’m on the subject, I commend those who offer help on any level.  Your generosity reminds us that whether we’re walking pretty on Wall Street or trying to survive on Skid Row, no one is too great or too small to offer a helping hand.

Which brings me to my second feeling, the feeling of wonder.  I wonder what circumstances led that person to homelessness, I wonder if someone misses them, I wonder how far they’ve traveled, and I wonder if they’ve given up or if they believe their situation can change.

I also can’t help but wonder what if this was someone I knew and loved.  If I couldn’t help them, wouldn’t I want someone who could help them to step in?  Of course I would.

Unfortunately, I know that I (as well as everyone else on this planet) will never have the power to end poverty.  We can start helping, however, by remembering that despite a person’s station in life, we all need love and attention more than we need material things.

Having food, clothing, and shelter is optional.  Treating everyone as human beings, deserving of love and attention, however, is required.