Everything...but nothing at all...

The old man absorbed with alcohol huddles under the overpass trying to keep warm in the frigid night. I know he was absorbed with the drink because as we approached him you could smell the stagnant odor of wine mixed with the exhaust fumes from the cars overhead. His body occupies a space with its own boundaries, separate from others and alone with what’s stirring inside of him.

You could see his breath as we walked towards him. Shallow inhalation with long pauses between each exhalation not wanting any more cold air to invade his body, the outside temperatures were bad enough.
We found out that his name was Jim and he was hoping to make it to Naples, Florida before the first of the year. We asked if he had family there and he said, “No, I heard there is a community near the beach.” Jim had a strong New Jersey accent and mentioned this was just a layover until he got on his feet again.

Jim was withdrawn from the rest of the homeless “community” and appeared to be undergoing a painful inner process, a decaying and destruction of an old way of being. He didn’t volunteer anything about himself and we didn’t ask. We told him of the various shelters nearby and he was resistant in accepting any help, from anyone. We asked if he was hungry and offered him some food and a few personal grooming commodities, then poured him a cup of hot chocolate and gave him a blanket. That was the last time we saw him, in December 2010.

Today was the first day it was cool enough in months to open the windows here in South Carolina. It was good to smell the fresh air. Soon the nights will be colder and staying warm will be harder for those on the streets. Thoughts of Jim filled my mind. I wondered how he was doing when I saw several of the homeless waiting, for maybe their only hot meal in a couple days at one of the many missions in our area.

I may have crossed paths many times and looked into the eyes of some, whom I’m sure walked a better path of life a few years ago. The Homeless population across the country is nearly epidemic and is not only in states with warmer climates. While many think these are just "bums" who drink and use drugs, it is a hard life or misfortune that has led them to this. They have lost everything and have once led normal lives, living in normal homes and many even have children. A bout of bad luck has forced many to live on the street with no one to help. With the times becoming harder for many people due to the housing mortgage crisis and the bad economy there may soon be many more people one paycheck away from being forced to be without a home.

I don’t know what the answer is or how it can be turned around. We cannot turn our backs and pretend we don’t see them…the men, the women, and the children of the streets, many who were our neighbors. But I do know, generosity and kindness is always appreciated...

Peace...