Turn Today’s Fear into Motivation Tomorrow

With Irene knocking on our doorsteps, there is the constant buzz on the news, out in town and all over social media, about taking the proper precautions. People are concerned about power outages, food spoilage, property damage, safe boarding and transportation, and the anxiety is visible. I’m not in any way trying to minimize the importance of preparedness in any way- let me make that clear to you. But what I want you to do, is I want you to take a moment and think about all of these things that you find yourself concerned over losing, and stop long enough to put yourself in the shoes of a homeless person. They live with these fears on a daily basis; they struggle with having enough food and finding a safe and dry place to lay their heads at night. We should stop and acknowledge the fear that runs through our blood when we are faced with losing some of the material possessions that we have accumulated in our lives, let alone the basic necessities in life. 

So, during the quiet moments between now and when this storm passes, take the time to think about these individuals that you may pass on the streets without ever knowing their names, and what you can do to help them. If you take the time to imagine yourself in their shoes, and if you allow yourself to realize that they have more in common with you than not, then maybe, just maybe, you might be inclined to reach out and help someone. Whether the road to homelessness started with drugs, alcohol, addiction or poor circumstances, the person on that journey was created in the same likeness as you and I were. They experienced childhood; they have had moments of happiness and sorrow- they breathe the same air and walk the same ground as you do. ”If we had the vision of faith,” Father Dan Egan once wrote, ”we would see beneath every behavior — no matter how repulsive — beneath every bodily appearance — no matter how dirty or deformed — a priceless dignity and value that makes all material facts and scientific technologies fade into insignificance.” Advances in science, technology, literature, art and the like can only be truly rewarding when we make sure not to turn a blind eye to the person in need of food down the street.

Where can you go to make a difference? Here is just the tip of the iceberg, but there are unlimited organizations and opportunities to help those around you that are in need of the most basic things in life. 

Volunteers of America