Food For Thought

I owe you an apology, and I'm going to explain why.

I've seen you on the streetcorner with your sign. It must take a lot of courage for you to stand there. It's tough to admit you need help.

I don't know what kind of trouble you've had. I just know it must have been bad. So you finally get up the nerve to step up on the median, and then what happens? I drive right on by.

You know it's true. You can see people rolling up their windows as they approach the turn lane. They sit there idling, stone-faced, and they won't even make eye contact with you because, at some level, they feel guilty.

They want to believe there really isn't a problem, so they'll make excuses. They'll say "I'm not going to give money to that guy, he'll just spend it on alcohol or drugs."

But, even if that were true, it must make you feel invisible. No one should have to feel like that, it's just not right.

So I owe you an apology, and I hope you can forgive me.

People tend to forget that we're all the same. The only difference between us could be that I have a job and you don't.

But you're one of God's Creatures, a human being worthy of respect and deserving of dignity. In fact there's even scripture in the Bible that refers to this:

Even as you would do unto the lowliest of men, you do so as unto me.



Now, there's a reason I've included this note, aside from my apology.

You need to know that there are people, agencies, and organizations that can help you, no matter what kind of help that you need.

Sometimes it's hard to ask anyone for help, I know it used to be for me. For some foolish reason I'd gotten it into my head that asking for help was a sign of weakness. I'd always prided myself on my self-sufficiency.

But I was wrong. I can admit that now. It was just my ego talking. I think now that I was just trying to avoid feeling embarassed. Don't let that happen to you.

Here's what you need to do before things can start to get better. You need to examine your life. Admitting that you have a problem that you can't solve alone is the first step. Until you are willing to recognize that, no one can help you.

Once you've taken that first step, you're ready to begin. All it takes is a phone call. I'm providing a list of phone numbers for people who can help you in the Fresno, CA area.

If you are homeless and in need of shelter:
Fresno Rescue Mission 268-0839

If you need help with alcohol-related problems:
Alcoholics Anonymous 221-6097

If you need help with drug abuse problems:
Free 24Hour AddictionHelpline 1-800-559-9503

The first step is recovery. If that doesn't apply to you, and you just need to find work:
Employment Development Dept 230-4188



Good luck, I hope things get better for you.