When To G I V E

No surprise, right?

I mean, it’s  THAT  time of the year, isn’t?

In fact.     .     .

E A C H    T I M E

is   T H A T    T I M E,  

isn’t it?

We see folks standing on road ways,

ramps and street corners

with signs that are asking what we all seem to work so hard for

and don’t ever get to keep enough:

M     O     N     E     Y.      .      .

We’ve all probably been in a place and in a time

where we needed more than what we have in our pockets,

bank accounts,

401k’s.       .       .

I’ve never stood on a corner to ask for money.

I once went on purpose to a soup kitchen;

O N     P U R P O S E,

not to help or serve,

 or clean up,

but to actually eat.     .     .

I wanted to see   I T   from another perspective.

I was treated kindly,

with sympathy and compassion,

but it was very apparent

I was  ONE  OF  THEM

and Not one of THEM,

serving.       .       .

I’ve gotten all of the advice on this matter from both sides:

GIVE Freely

and Never GIVE

under any circumstances.

“GIVE a man a Fish and you feed him for a day; Teach a man to Fish and he eats forever.   .   .   .”

Right?

 Wrong?

Circumstantial?

Enabling?

I have heard,

maybe felt it all.

Three things happened most recently

that I think has settled this for me,

and now maybe you.

We were driving home from school

and my granddaughter was in the back seat of the car.

We came to a Stop Light that had just turned, RED.

On the side of the road was a man who looked like he was wearing everything he owned.

He held a sign that just simply read,

H U N G R Y
P L E A S E    H E L P

I heard a zipper getting UN-zipped

and then the window go down from the backseat.

My 8-yr old granddaughter was handing a dollar to the man with the sign.

I found out,

it wasn’t her first time.

Fast forward a few days ahead. I was in the car and I was in another part of town.

I was getting off of the highway and there on the berm of the road was a guy.

He didn’t have everything on that he owned,

he actually was carrying a ripped backpack.

He was sweaty and his face was smeared.

He was holding a sign that I couldn’t actually read.

Maybe he wrote it in the rain.

It was hot and the letters looked like they were melting together.

Everyone was passing him by.

It was a long line and the Red Light came up at least twice

and now was just turning Green.

He was still 5 car lengths ahead of me.

I looked up.

There was a $20 bill in my sun visor.     .     .

it had been a great week

–F O R    M E.      .      .

I hit the button to the window and it purred down.

I crunched the bill between my fingers

and handed it over to him.

Seriously.          .          .

it was One of THOSE Commercials–

except there was no mention of benefits

to the Card Carrier

And yet.      .      .

still,  it was

P   R   I   C   E   L   E   S   S!

THAT look on his face,

and even with the sounds of afternoon traffic,

I heard him gasp.

I couldn’t see his face from the rearview mirror

as I drove away,

but his head was down, looking,

watching the bill in his hand as if it were going to fly away,

d   i   s   s    o   l   v   e

or just turn into a dollar bill before his eyes.

I wonder what story he’ll tell and to who?

I wonder if he’ll,

weeks,

months,

years from now reflect,

“I remember the time on a hot Summer day when this guy, who I didn’t even think noticed me, rolled down his window and handed me a crunched up $20 bill.”

I wonder.     .     .

if.     .     .

when   I’ll   forget?

And then there was the man

outside of the exit of a

GET-GO STATION

with a sign that read:

I   HAVE  DIABETES

AND  NEED  TO  EAT

I had just filled up my tank

and Erin and I were about

to fill up our stomachs

with a Sub-Sandwich we had just bought.

I rolled down my window and offered him

my still un-wrapped Italian Sub

and he declined my offer

by pulling out his own Sub from

the big bag he had in front of him.      .      .

He gave me a great

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm   Of   The   Day

So finally after a lifetime of waffling

with the   SHOULD   and   SHOULDN’T’S

of  what to do

when faced with an opportunity

of someone imploring

my meek earnings

I think I’ve come to a

S     E     T     T     L     I     N     G :

From now on,

there’ll only be two times when I give:

1) When      I      have     IT

2) When      I      don’t      have     IT

.          .          .A     N     D

What    say    YOU ?