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It was probably about this time of year in 2019. I had picked up some snacks at Hometown to take to a meeting. I usually survey my surroundings, but I hadn't seen her until she was by my side as I placed bags in the back seat of my car.
The small woman was dressed in a coat and a toboggan - much too warmly for the temperate Fall day. She immediately told me she needed help. Walgreens wouldn't let her have her cancer medicine if she didn't have her co-pay. Did I have three dollars?
It wasn't unusual to see panhandlers at the Seven-Points Shopping Center, but it was rare to see a woman. Judging from her looks, she could have been very ill. I briefly thought of driving her the one block to the pharmacy to see just what she needed, but I knew that would make me late for my meeting.
I opened my billfold to discover a one-dollar bill and a ten. I started to hand her the one and tell her it was all I had. Then I thought how difficult it would be to ask a complete stranger for money, so I handed her the ten and told her good luck.
That December, I wrote a blog on the homeless situation in Florence. Several mentioned the woman I had met at Seven-Points. Her name was Hope, and she was a regular at Flo-Bama. My ten dollars apparently went to purchase alcohol for Hope. Had I done the right thing when I gave her the money?
This past year, Hope had several arrests - one for "Aggressive Panhandling." I was very sad for Hope, but I had never seen her since our initial meeting. How does society handle someone like Hope?
I read yesterday that she had died alone on a stranger's porch. I have no answers, but I have a great deal of sorrow...
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It's very sad how so many have fallen through the cracks in our society. Mental Illness is responsible for much of it, with the Medical Types ignoring the problem and our government pretending it doesn't exist. There are a great number of us who wish we could return to the days where people took care of each other, no matter if there was a profit at the end and, it was expected that you would receive help if it was needed. Society today is cruel, dog-eat-dog and people are more interested in how they can steal money, goods and power from those less fortunate. The Shoals displays that attitude everyday and those in charge should experience a little of the grief and devastation that others experience, as they sit their grotesquely fat butts on their elevated chairs in City Halls and School Boards. It might be fun to watch the "Mighty" fall ....heavily !!
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