'Tis the Season to do Something for the Down and Out

'Tis the Season to do Something for the Down and Out
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_T_Jones,_Ph.D.]John T Jones, Ph.D.

Let’s do some pretending.

YOU ARE this widow or widower:

Your kids are strung from hell to breakfast and you seldom hear from three of them.

You are so old that most of your friends, and some of your children, are dead.

You’ve stopped taking medicine for the winter so that you can pay your fuel bill.

Your walks are covered with snow because you are too old to clear them.

You live on Social Security.

You have no savings or pension.

You suffer from arthritis pain day and night.

Sleep is something you did when you were younger.

You’ve got holes in your teeth but no money to have them repaired.

The cotton in your ears is because you have a constant ear infection.

You use a walker to get around the house.

Your car is low on gas so you decide to go to the grocery store but not to church.

You know you shouldn’t drive your car without auto insurance.

You wanted to go to the community dinner for the aged but the article in the paper said they were taking donations. You didn’t have a buck to drop in the box. You didn’t go and nobody brought you a dinner. (You knew that you didn’t have to donate to get your dinner, but you’re a proud person, and didn’t want others to know about your problems.)

You have no cable television. Your television set doesn’t work anyway.

The telephone company has threatened to cut off your service.

The power company has given you a grant for the winter so that you will have electricity. (If you die, it won’t be their fault.)

You have no life insurance. You couldn’t keep up with the premiums.

Now pretend again:

YOU ARE this divorced or abandoned woman with school-age children, or, your husband is well and at home, but out of work.

You don’t know where the rent is coming from.

You have insufficient funds and food stamps to feed your family.

The car has a dead battery, but you don’t have money to buy gas anyway.

The kids need shoes because they are growing so fast.

You need personal items because you are a woman but have no money whatsoever to buy them.

Your former friends and neighbors are embarrassed about your poverty and try to ignore you less you ask them for something that you desperately need.

Some neighbors say that your husband is out of work because he is too lazy to find a job.

Your church has never visited you to see if you have needs. You don’t go to church anymore.

Now pretend one more time:

YOU ARE living in a nursing home.

You are confused about what is going on at times; unless someone is kind or cruel to you.

The food tastes like straw.

It’s Christmas time but the vase of flowers has been in the windowsill wilting away since Mother’s Day. Nobody has bothered to empty the vase and you can’t even reach it.

The nurses are kind and efficient but the hourly employees could care less about your welfare. Some are mean and cruel. You use to ask them for help adjusting your bed, sitting you up, handing you a book, and personal needs. Now you wait until the nurse comes, knowing that she will help you. However, the nurse is busy and can’t always get to you when you have a need.

You are lonely.

You can’t wait to get out of the nursing home.

You will welcome death.

For those who care, here are some things you can do to help the down and out.

REMEMBER: You can’t do something for everybody. You can do something for somebody.

Some charities are able to reach out in a broad way. They solicit money, deduct administrative fees, and spread your wealth.

It’s good that this occurs.

That is not what this article is about except for those who can’t get out and help the needy. If you can’t give help, you can always give cash to the Salvation Army or your local rescue mission.

Try some of these activities :This is the time of the year when we should care about the needy, widows, widowers, people in nursing homes, etc. You can’t do something for everyone but you can for someone. First, put yourself in their shoes. I offer suggestions or you and your family.