"Mom, the police are here"

When I was about four or five years old, my sister and I pranced into our mom's room and said, "Mom, the police are here."

"What?" said my mom as she jumped out of bed.

She goes to the door only to find not the police but the Salvation Army instead. Heck, we didn't know, anyone in a uniform was a police officer to us. When she opened the door they asked her if she was Mrs. _____, and asked her what our ages where. She told them, and they said that they would be back in a few days.

They did come back, several days later, but this time they brought with them everything to make a Thanksgiving feast. They also brought a doll for each of us girls.

Someone had turned out names in to the Salvation Army. At the time my father was fighting in the Vietnam War, and my aunt turned in our name. She said that our father was stationed overseas, and that we were poor and didn't have any money.

I don't remember ever being "poor," but I guess there was a time in our life that we were. Even though I don't remember this story (this is one of my mother's memories) I am sure that we were all very grateful.

This brings me to a discussion me and some of my friends had today. Someone was telling a story about how a stranger approached her at the mall. He told her that she looked like a good christian woman, she agreed that she was. He went on to tell her that he had a mother that needed insulin and that he needed $16 more for her medication. She didn't have cash on her, so she actually took the money out of an ATM for him, well she gave him $10. After she did it she was thinking, what did I do? She said that she felt comfortable using the ATM there because she was in a mall and surrounded by people, but she wondered what the money was actually going to be used for.

This made us go into a discussion about beggars on the street. Where I work, near a major city, I pass by the beggars on street corners often. With their signs "Will work 4 food." I have no problem giving to the needy, but you can't help but wonder if the money will actually go towards some food, or a bottle of booze. Because of this I usually drive by without giving, but feeling kind of bad for not. I would much rather go to the nearest Burger King and pick up a combo meal for him than hand over my hard earned cash.