My Trip to L.A.

This week I took a trip to Los Angeles to buy some material for my display tables.  My cousin went with me since he hasn’t been to L.A. in a long time.  My 10 year old son also went with me.   I parked the car and we made our way to the fabric stores.  I made sure my son stayed close by since there are lots of people roaming the streets there.  As we walked from store to store, we came across many down and out people who were asking for money. 
After about an hour, we decided to stop and grab a bite to eat in a little shop on 9th Street between Maple and Wall.  We sat outside since the weather was pretty nice.  As we began to eat, we were approached by several people wanting money.  One guy in particular, in a wheelchair, wheeled himself right up to our table and just stared at us as we ate.  My son wasn’t sure what to make of this and as the owner came out the door the man in the wheelchair hurried away, which led me to believe he does this daily.  Another while passed and another very young man approached us to ask us for money.  Before we could answer, the owner again came out and told the man he’d have to leave.  The young man stood there looking puzzled for a minute and then broke out in a very loud laugh.  My son’s eyes widened by this time and I could tell he was a little frightened.  He is used to seeing homeless every day as we live two blocks from the homeless shelter but he has never seen such bold and strange behavior.  There were many other scenes that day that concerned him like people walking and arguing with themselves, making hand gestures to no one in particular, etc.
I decided to talk to him about the importance of being compassionate about all people.  I told him that while we would love to hand money to everyone, we need to understand that it’s impossible to do.  We do occasionally give spare change to people who need it but many times, instead of handing over money, we offer a meal or drink.  That way we know the money will not go to feed an addiction.
I explained that many people find humor in others who have lost their way or are down and out.  Some even enjoy inflicting physical pain to them.  I told him that while we don’t know or understand what road led to their downward spiral, that we should remember that they are human beings and are someones mother, father, brother, sister, child.  Sometimes lack of education, drug or alcohol abuse, or other issues are the reason.  I told him that some of these people aren’t lucky enough to have family in their lives, others have made the choice to distance themselves from their family.  Some may have had a traumatic experience lead them to where they are and others simply have a mental illness.  Whatever the reason, we should never judge or make fun of these people. 
I hope that I was able to teach my son something positive today and I hope I taught him that we all have a story underneath our cover.