And it brought me to tears.........

So today I was out shopping for groceries, going about my day......buying the necessities but admittedly throwing some random odds & ends in my cart as I went. You know what I mean~ the Banana Split Oreos & the ole standby case of Diet Coke...the things that are NOT necessities (although on most days I would argue that diet Coke is essential- I digress). And as I placed these little extras in my cart I never gave them a 2nd thought.

So as I am pushin my cart out to my van I see a young man sitting on the ground outside the door & didn't really give him a 2nd thought until I heard someone raise their voice in that general direction. As I glance over my shoulder I see the young man is sitting on the sidewalk with a 'pack' complete with a monster-sized back pack & sleeping bag. He also had a sign saying

Stranded while traveling

Fell for a job scam

Out of money

Very hungry

Will do ANY work

Desperate

And there was a middle age man giving this young kid "the business."

Man: Get out of here....we don't welcome bums in these parts. Why don't you go join your amigos in Anchorage?

Kid: Sir....I wish I could....I really am stuck

Me: Quit trying to mooch off the good people of this community

Kid: I'm sorry sir. I just really am hungry................

Now, for those of you who don't live in Alaska I need to explain that Anchorage (40-ish miles from here) has a horrible homeless problem. Many of the grocery stores have had to quit selling mouthwash like Listerine because the police were finding hundreds of empty mouthwash bottles littering the homeless 'camps' in the woods. And wouldn't you know that stores in these areas were having an astonishingly high amount of 'missing' mouthwash inventory. Hmmmmm?????

And if that isn't enough, about a year & a half ago the homeless people of Anchorage wanted to unionize. Seriously. And they wanted to be able to lay legal claim to certain street corners for panhandling purposes.......yeah.....serious problems.

With this in mind I have to admit I regularly have had to turn a blind eye to beggars in our community. But something about this kid just struck me. So I went to my car, loaded my packages & prayed for guidance. Then I got in my car & drove off........

*****now do you seriously think this is the end of my saga?????****

I drove to the fast food joint next door & bought a gift card. Then I drove back & parked in front of the young man & walked right up to him. I have to admit I was shaking (why? I'm still not sure) when I looked him in the eye.

Me: Are you truly hungry?

Him: Yes, ma'am I am. (you know, I think he was shaking worse than I was)

Me: Then go eat (& I handed him the card)

Him: Thank you ma'am. Really-thank you.

Me: God bless you

And as I started to walk away I saw that he was starting to cry.

I made it to my car...and then I fell apart.

I know it may have been a scam....but if it was, oh well. He scammed me for a couple burgers, NOT a bottle of booze. And my heart broke thinking if it was a scam this young man must be so lost that he thinks this type of life is okay.....

But something deep in me said it wasn't a scam.

And I wondered if his mom knows where he is right now. And my heart broke for her .....

And then I wondered if maybe she is the type that just doesn't care & then my heart broke for him.....

And then I cried for my own children. I prayed that they never have to face such circumstances...to be alone & hungry......

And I was ashamed that I had been so concerned with Oreos & Diet Coke................