Yesterday I wrote about the beauty in our world. By the way, the two photos below (of my office view and of GP were to have been placed following the blog entitled Beauty, but they loaded after...oh well.) Anyway, yesterday afternoon I got to see something a little less beautiful from my office window.
Peachland has become home to many drug & alcohol addicted vagrants. Everyday I watch them from my office desk. I pray for them, sometimes I feed them, or just have a little visit with them if they are coherent enough, but yesterday I watched one steal. It definitely spiced up my quiet afternoon! Brian and I had been observing a vagrant newcomer during the day. Around 2:30 we saw him open the door of a parked van just across the street and rumage around inside. He then proceeded to put some things in his pocket and his hand, shut the door and amble away. The owner of the truck came out of Sunnyside with his beer, and I asked him if that was his van, to which he replied yes. I told him that some of his things had been taken by the gentleman walking down the street. He ran after him and retrieved his items.
Peachland has always been such a laid back, safe little town. Noone locks up anything, but now with that blatant act of theft and with so many transient people wandering around, we need to be more careful. The window of the Sunnyside (the downtown liquor store) was broken the night before too. There are bars all over the windows, so I am not sure what the culprit expected to accomplish, but I guess when you have such strong addictions, you don't always think clearly.
My heart goes out to these people. I wish I had the money and time to buy the Lovelocks house salon that is for sale and set up a soup kitchen or something to help them. Once upon a time each of these people were little kids playing and laughing and hopefully being loved by a mom. Now they look so troubled. You just feel helpless to make a difference. One day I fed a man who could hardly walk. To see him get up after he finished his sandwich and apple juice and walk away a little straighter, made me feel like I had made a little bit of difference, even just for that moment and let him know that someone cared.
Peachland has become home to many drug & alcohol addicted vagrants. Everyday I watch them from my office desk. I pray for them, sometimes I feed them, or just have a little visit with them if they are coherent enough, but yesterday I watched one steal. It definitely spiced up my quiet afternoon! Brian and I had been observing a vagrant newcomer during the day. Around 2:30 we saw him open the door of a parked van just across the street and rumage around inside. He then proceeded to put some things in his pocket and his hand, shut the door and amble away. The owner of the truck came out of Sunnyside with his beer, and I asked him if that was his van, to which he replied yes. I told him that some of his things had been taken by the gentleman walking down the street. He ran after him and retrieved his items.
Peachland has always been such a laid back, safe little town. Noone locks up anything, but now with that blatant act of theft and with so many transient people wandering around, we need to be more careful. The window of the Sunnyside (the downtown liquor store) was broken the night before too. There are bars all over the windows, so I am not sure what the culprit expected to accomplish, but I guess when you have such strong addictions, you don't always think clearly.
My heart goes out to these people. I wish I had the money and time to buy the Lovelocks house salon that is for sale and set up a soup kitchen or something to help them. Once upon a time each of these people were little kids playing and laughing and hopefully being loved by a mom. Now they look so troubled. You just feel helpless to make a difference. One day I fed a man who could hardly walk. To see him get up after he finished his sandwich and apple juice and walk away a little straighter, made me feel like I had made a little bit of difference, even just for that moment and let him know that someone cared.
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