Homeless people

I saw a homeless person yesterday that really caught my eye. He had a shopping cart overfilled to the point where he really struggled to control it. He was pushing it down the street and tried to push it into the parking lot where I was pulling out. I almost got out of my vehicle to offer to help him, but he then was able to get it onto the sidewalk. He was still struggling to push it straight when I turned on the road and drove off.
The whole scenario made me think about how our daily lives are compared to those who don't have a roof over their heads and who keep all their daily possesions in a small metal carrier. We also have a lot of baggage, but we can control it more comfortably because we have more resources, more money, and less difficulty controlling our destiny. It's truly sad when you see a person who is struggling with his or her's daily existance. There are probably a lot more homeless people in America then we know. With the current economic situation, this problem might only be more exacerbated. One reads about this situation and it's not hard to fathom that anybody reading this blog could end up in a similar situation with not that many tragic events. The housing crisis, the unemployment rate, and any other number of factors could cause somebody who had a comfortable, stable lifestyle to be further down the sidewalk pushing a cart.
I have never made a donation to the homeless cause but will do so in the future. My church just hosted a program to provide a warm environment for a few days for homeless people but I didn't participate. I now realize that I should have. I also work with people who told me that they were homeless in the past. The stories they shared are not pretty, and I'm thanfull that they are not living on the street anymore. I also hope that the Commonwealth of Virginia will provide more money to address this problem in the future. In the meantime, I urge you to help the homeless by donating money and keeping them in your prayers.