November 4, 2012

We were in Chicago this past weekend. We went there because my cousin, Karen, was there for business and I had not seen her in 38 years. It was great to see her.  We didn't really get to spend a whole lot of time together. We ate at the Webber Grill Restaurant on the corner of Grand and State Streets. We then went to her hotel and sat in the lobby for a little bit and talked some more. Then we parted, promising it will not be so long until the next time we see each other. Maybe I will go see her at her home, and my other cousins, her sisters, and their mother. Maybe she will be back in the Chicago area again.  But, I wanted to talk about something else that happened to me while I was in Chicago this weekend.

We were in Chicago to see my cousin. But I also saw other people. I mean, hey, there are always a LOT of people in Chicago. But the particular people that we saw that I keep thinking about were the people on the streets. I mean, the ones that live there, if that is what you can call living, on the streets. The photo at the top of this page, you may not be able to tell, is a man sleeping on the street. He was there Sunday morning on my way to Dunkin Donuts to get myself some breakfast and some coffee for Jay. He was trying to sleep there, on the street, around the corner from my hotel. I found myself slipping into the mode of "should I or shouldn't I?" I wondered if his mother knew he was there, sleeping on the street. How long had he been there? He had an old suitcase at his head, he was covered with his coat and his little yellow blanket. It was about 38 degrees out there all night. Did he have any place to go? What is he going to do when it gets colder? He was not the only one. There were others. People sat with little signs. "I have a wife and two children. Wife and I lost our jobs. WE ARE HUNGRY. Please Help." His wife was across the street with a similar sign. They sat silently, heads bowed, faces covered by the signs.

Now, I know a thing or two or three. I know I could not help all of these people. I know that some of them are there because of drug or alcohol addictions. I know that if you "help" even one of these people, they are still going to be in the same spot in 24 hours or less. In fact, I have also been taught not to give money to these people, if you really want to help them, it would be better to actually buy them a sandwich than to give them money for one that they can use for more drugs or alcohol. And, in fact, I did not help any of these people at all. But I keep wondering about them, especially the guy in the picture above. I consider myself a Christian, and I keep wondering what was my responsibility toward these people? In the city where I live, we don't run into street people very often. There are organizations here to keep people off the streets. Homeless people can get help...food...a place to stay. But Chicago, I don't know, maybe there are too many of them. Maybe they don't know where to go. Maybe they are conning people. 

I don't really have any answers. Maybe you have some ideas. How do you deal with these people and their needs? I mean, this is humanity. Most everyone else did the same as I did this weekend. You just walk past, don't make eye contact, don't give them anything. They are PEOPLE! What if we took a minute and just treated them like people? I don't know. I do know that I am not finished thinking about this. My main purpose in writing this blog was just to help me think it through some more. Thanks for reading.

Love,

Lorri