Xmas 2020

In the true sprit of the day. I will be out in the cold, helping to feed the homeless. Also distributing gifts of warm clothes, and camping gear. In my area the homeless population has grown by 20%, and we expect that to triple in the coming months.

One thing different this year, the number of people in need, the number of people helping out, the number of gifts, and the amount of care, has gone through the roof. I just now saw a pile of 300 warm coats, and rain gear ready to give away.

Back home.

I would like to tell you about John and Mercedes. Both homeless, both full of life, and gratitude. John is a disabled veteran. From the surge in Afghanistan. Lost a leg, above the knee. Mercedes is an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala. She was a midwife, in her village, trained in Cuba. Both these fine people helped me this morning, give out warm clothes, and build some trust with a homeless population ground down by the bureaucracy.

May your day be as joyful as mine.

One of the first things you notice about John and Mercedes, is that they finish each other’s sentences. They have a bond with each other so strong that they seem like one being. Mercedes has a smile that could light a room, John has a strength, that has seen them through some very tough times. They have been inseparable for years. They both are widely regarded by the other homeless, as saints. 

Today they taught me a lesson about character, integrity, and humility.

Mercedes speaks at least 5 languages, English, Spanish, K’iché, and other Mayan dialects. She found John on the street, strung out on Oxy, his stump infected. Nursed him back into life. John had lost his VA benefits for drug arrests. He had received a Purple Heart and a Distinguished Service Medal, and is now clean and sober. But still a stubborn Marine. He returned Mercedes favor by rescuing her from a rape attempt. They both laughed about these stories. As if they did not matter.

They do.

They are now still out there, on the street, they refuse housing, as they feel this is where they can do the most good.
They have a luxurious campsite in a park just outside of town. People count on them for health resources and protection.
They are very happy, and unmoved, by people trying to help them.

What might you do, to help John and Mercedes.
Lobby hard for VA reform. Immigration reform.
Health care for all. Incarceration reform.
And above all never discount a homeless person as less deserving of respect.

These are the survivors. These are the ones that show us that the human spirit, and Mutual Aid, is bottomless.