Day after day people in our community wake up wishing that their poverty was over. These people are waking up on mats at the shelter getting ready to go back out into the cold for 13 hours until they can lay on that mat again. They are waking up on couches, in vans that they call home or in cold apartments. They wake knowing they have no clean clothes and/or nothing to eat, maybe even wondering what they will be able to put together for a lunch for their child today. Knowing that my days of eating oatmeal and soup, taking quick showers and long walks are limited, has pushed me to keep this up. I truly cannot imagine entering this lifestyle with no end date in sight.
Today my challenge card read: You see a stranger drop a toonie on the ground without noticing. What do you do?
Last week if I would have read this, without question I would have replied that of course I would call out and give them their dropped toonie. Today, with $1.06 left in my pocket, I had to really think about this. I know that the right answer is to give them their money but geeze it would be hard to do. I know my morals and values, and I know that I would never feel comfortable using money that was not mine even with so little in my pocket. Thankfully there are places like the Fellowship, Jubilee, the Health Unit, Morningstar, Women's Place and NeChee (and several more that are slipping my mind at the moment) that are there to help, so that even with $1.06 in your pocket you can still find clean socks and underwear, food, coffee and support.
Confession #2 (or maybe 3) - I was given this 'cookie-gram' today and I enjoyed every last bite.
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