That stand for what would YOU do?
As in this--
Yesterday in the Smith's parking lot I saw a very, very, very thin woman with a stroller and 2 young children who were cute, friendly and dirty. She told me they were homeless and could I help. The unexpected presence of children gave this familiar scenario a different wrinkle. I told her that I'd be happy to buy them a meal, so she asked her kids what they wanted and they said Lunchables. I bought those, some apple juice, and a sandwich for the mother, which I handed off as I left the store. They immediately proceeded to a corner and began eating.
So all of this was disturbing, of course. My guess is the mother is a meth addict, which looks at once more horrible and banal in real life than it does on TV. But the kids. What about the kids? Should I have called someone? But who?
Ugh. I feel like I've failed to do the right thing somehow.
5 comments:
You did great. You have no proof she's a drug addict. You fed her and her children. If you see them again, buy them lunch again. If she's high, you could call the police, but otherwise...? It's one of those bummers of mortality. People have rough lives and we can't fix everything.
I agree with Allysha. You did a good thing. She may or may not be a Meth addict, but you really don't know. You did what you could. The Kids, and the mother, were blessed because of it.
I have this dumb tendency to want to rescue everyone from all their problems. I'm a rescuer by nature. As much as I want to fix things, I've learned that I just can't. But I can be compassionate and helpful and kind. You do these things in your sleep, Ann. You did them generously for the addict mom and her children. You did good.
I agree with everyone here. You did more than most people would have. You can only do so much. I think this shows that you are a compassionate and caring person with a big heart.
Oh, this makes my heart hurt. So much. It's one thing when adults are hungry/homeless, but when it's children it makes me want to never eat another meal and to give away whatever I can. You did such a good thing. Those kids were hungry. Feel better knowing those kids didn't have as much pain in their tummies from lack of nutrition that night as they might have on other nights. That day, you were their angel on earth. If only we could all be a little better at noticing and taking action. You did a good thing.
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