I’m crying and I don’t know exactly why. It’s just worthy of mourning.
I’m listening to “Somebody’s Baby” by Jon Foreman. It’s about a homeless woman.
This Sunday I thought a lot about what it means to be in that position and what my role is as someone who does have means to care for those who don’t. How does that play out in a generous yet wise way? Not just a handout to take my mind off of the real problems, but understanding what’s driving these problems. Getting to know people, and investing some time, not just throwing money at someone’s plight.
“More than just your cash and coin, I want your time, I want your voice.” –Derek Webb
I love my family and I’m so glad they visited me. But I see the people we passed on the way to our nice Sunday lunch. I see the woman on the side of the road with a broken down car. I see the supposedly homeless guy with his dog. We didn’t stop for them to see if we could help – make sure the woman was okay, see if the guy who wanted money would like a meal instead. I wish we would have.
Here are things from the song that get me. Snippets that make this woman real to me (Full lyrics here):
“if you were homeless, sure as hell you’d be drunk…when people don’t want you…”
“her name was November”
“every now and again when she’s sober, she brushes her teeth”
“she’s somebody’s baby girl, and she’s somebody’s baby still”
A good book on the subject I read a year ago is Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski. Here’s the book on Amazon. Here’s their website.
Thoughts? Reactions?
2 comments:
Thoughtful post. I love that song (I love the entire EP...well, O.K., I love both EPs.)
The issues you mention I struggle with all the time. You can't help everybody, so you do the best you can do. You give money where you can, give a helping hand where you can, and pray for people who look like they need it.
It's insufficient, I know.
I like supporting Switchfoot because they use their concerts as vehicles for giving, and they sponsor their own charitable event every June.
Good luck with deciding what to do.
liz, i love you for thinking about these things. and without trying to sound condescending...i'm proud of you, a lot.
lets talk about these things soon.
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