Out of the mouths of babes...

We are entering into a yucky month where Dean is working an awful lot of hours and we are already missing him! Life gets way easier (or at least we are all reunited for an extended period of time again) if we can just hang in there until April 18. Fingers crossed. There is a Pacers game tonight so the boys and I decided to meet Dean at the mall downtown for an early dinner this afternoon. We had just settled down with our Chick-Fil-A when a man approached our table and said that he was homeless, hungry, it was his birthday, and could we give him some money. Dean said we would be happy to help and would look for him when we were done eating. The man proceeded to ask everyone around us for money, giving a different reason for needing money to each person. At times he cried, at times he was angry, at times he said he had diabetes and couldn't afford his medicine, at times he said he needed money for his family. It was really interesting/upsetting to watch him in action and wonder what the real story was. While watching him, Ben (who was very sympathetic and worried about the man) said, without a hint of irony in his voice, "I feel bad for that guy. He is probably hungry because he spent all his money on that nice coat." I almost choked on my chicken sandwich. For the record, the man was pretty well dressed. Dean and I both struggled with how best to handle the situation. We both agree that as Christians and really just as humans it is our responsibility to love, respect, and care for others. We also wanted to set a good example for our boys of being kind and giving. Dean ended up giving Ben a couple of dollar bills to give to the man, which he did, saying "here you go. happy birthday." The man muttered thank you sir and then later said a slew of expletives while walking by Ben as a security guard escorted him out of the food court. Ben was really worried about the man and didn't understand why security was kicking him out. We tried to explain that services exist for people who are homeless and need help and that it is not "right" to go up to people in a mall food court and ask for money. It was an awkward situation all around and it ruined our dinner and made me sad. If the man was asking for money because he really needed help, well then I am glad we gave him a few dollars and wish we could have done more. It must be very humbling to have to ask for money. But it would seem that his need was not quite as intense as he portrayed it to be and it seemed that he made over $20 in about 10 minutes, which is a pretty lucrative "days work." The whole situation was just sad and frustrating. I hope Ben and Joe walked away feeling empathy and good about the fact that they attempted to support someone in need. I, on the other hand, walked away disgusted and annoyed. It makes me sad that I didn't just have a giving heart and a desire to help. I couldn't help but judge this man and be irritated that he "ruined" our family meal. I hope he is home with his family tonight; happy, healthy, and contemplating finding a way to make money that doesn't involve panhandling in a mall food court. And I hope that I can be less judgemental and more empathetic...like my boys are.