It is sad, Rose. Its hard to see it so close up, isnt' it?
I was at a traffic light on my lunch hour yesterday, too. I saw a woman holding a sign up begging for food. She looked so strung out on something. She was about my age. And I just thought...how sad...how very very sad. I thought about what agony her family must have gone thru watching her descent into addiction.
I know that not all homeless people are addicted to drugs. I know some of them are mentally ill...some of them are just the victim of some tragic circumstance...but I tend to believe that drugs and/or alcohol played a big role in most of the homeless' descent. Its so hard to see the outcome of addiction like that...
Before addictin touched my life, I probably would have looked at this woman with a bit of contempt or scorn. Now I feel compassion...For her, yes...but most especially for the people who love her.