Prayers & Prozac

I'm just gonna go ahead and say it.

I was at Fred Meyer getting some nail polish, matches and some milk when I realized I had a red-box movie rental in my purse to return.

I was holding the grocery bag, the gallon of milk in one hand, my car keys in the other and was trying to stick the DVD in the little slot.

It kept saying, "Please Wait. We are Not Ready to Accept your Return."

So I stood there waiting.

I found myself looking at the bell ringer, who was so kindly ringing his bell to the tune of "jingle bells". I started staring, and watching.

And yep. I'm just gonna say it.

99% of the people that I saw walk up and put money in that metal red bucket looked like the lowest on the economy scale. People I would probably generalize as "homeless" or less fortunate, ya know what I mean, the ones who just look like they are having a hard time.

Now I know that just because a person looks homeless or less fortunate, by no means does that correlate to having a lower income.

But what I observed? Most of the people that threw in money lined up at the bus stop outside of Fred Meyer's and didn't walk up to that gas guzzling cherry- red SUV in the parking lot.

The old lady who threw in a handful of change was talking to her friend about how if they didn't hurry, they wouldn't make it in time before the food bank stopped giving donations.

I watched the lady with the 6 inch stiletto heels and gorgeous coach purse (from the new winter line, I WANT!) cruise right in there without even a glance towards the bell ringer. She almost ran right into the guy who looked as if he hadn't showered in weeks, as he, yep, threw something in the red bin.

By now I had gathered a line waiting for the redbox, so I got myself together, stopped staring and returned the movie.

I walked right out of that store, got in my car and off I went.

Come to think of it, even after all of that, I didn't donate. I have really never been into that. But seeing who was donating that windy afternoon... it got me thinking. Maybe they all know something I don't.

Like really what it means to give and not receive.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about these people.

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world"

~Mother Teresa

I feel like these people I watched were okay with being the pencil, where so many times I want to be the author, and because of this, nothing gets written.