Fifteen hundred children, students in our relatively small tri-county area, are homeless, according to a RECORD article in yesterday's paper. Imagine (Lennon). On a personal level and because of Joe's field of work, we've seen a slump coming for a long, long time. But in our wildest imaginations, we never pictured a "recession" of this magnitude.
*Recession: a period of temporary economic decline
*Regression: a return to a former or less developed state
*Depression: a long and severe recession in an economy or market
*Depression: severe despondency and rejection, typically felt over a period of time and accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy
A naive image of those who constitute the growing number of homeless in our country has the ability to suggest older people who have lost their way; i.e., men and women we see clustered in cities or walking our local streets. But the CHILDREN! How do we quietly help them and their parents in their need, without making them feel needy, at the same time attempting to nurture their self-esteem?
I recall a wonderful lady who once collected ski clothing and equipment and anonymously distributed the items amongst local families who could not otherwise afford such luxuries for their children. She committed the donors to silence, in not commenting when they recognized clothing; thus, she preserved pride for the recipients. And, she provided the means to lift tickets and lessons for those kids. She became a wonderful equalizer in our small community. Wouldn't it be wonderful to return to a time when such luxury could be a priority? Now, it's a challenge to get those kids in similar situations into a classroom....well rested and well fed. I digress; but I also wonder, as homes are abandoned, who will tend the empty gardens of the earth and of the mind?
