Giving Dignity & Respect

I once was on a first date with someone who I was so excited to be out with. We were having a fabulous time when a panhandler encountered us & asked for money. My date swore at the person and sauntered away, I apologized for my date and gave the panhandler some money. The remainder of the night was pregnant with many things unsaid & we never called each other after that.

Typically I don't give money to anyone on the street unless they are playing an instrument. But I always look them in the eye & say, I'm sorry I can't today. Every person deserves acknowledgment, respect & eye contact. I can't imagine hitting a point in my life where I am so broke & desperate that I have to resort to asking strangers on the street for money. No one wants to be in that position and no one should. The way a person interacts with a homeless person says a lot about their character. The majority of Minnesotans in Minneapolis are kind and respectful, some of course, are not. This makes my heart hurt.

This article was published in our local Minneapolis Star & Tribune on Sunday. Columnist Jon Tevlin recognizes John Petroskas, an employee of Catholic Charities who works closely with the Minneapolis Homeless Population doing outreach. This column is one that reminds us that the homeless are not just nameless faces. They are individuals with stories whose lives deserve to be celebrated as much as yours and mine.

xoxx

The Absentee Blogger.

I find it funny that I feel guilty when I haven't blogged in a bit. And this time it has been a bit. Ten days to be exact and that was only a video post. I feel guilty for myself more than anyone else.

I have this grand vision that every morning I'll wake up early and sit at the dining room table drinking coffee and blogging. I would do a morning post everyday & a night post 3 times a week. It hasn't happened yet & I don't know if it ever will, but every night when I fall asleep I think to myself, "Tomorrow morning I'll wake up early to blog."

I am not a morning person, although I do think it must be nice to be one. Waking up early with the entire day ahead of you. I am a night person, I wake up late with only half the day left.

Much to my chagrin, I have always loved staying up late. When Handsome Randy is in town our regular bedtime is 3:30, not because we're just home from the bar & full of drinks, but because we just stay up late.

At one time we would stay up late and I would blog. Then it changed to staying up late and settling in the new house. Well, the house is all settled but I took a knitting class and now it's that we stay up late and I knit. I do think about blog posts while I knit, but then I need to change yarn, start a new row, or find a lost stitch...what about my blog again?

So at last dear readers, please bear with me. I will find a writing routine again soon enough. The new house is all settled and I am 2/3 done with the hat that I am knitting. Maybe, just maybe tomorrow morning will be the one that gets me out of bed early to blog.

xoxx

You've Probably Already Seen This.

But I am a real sucker for cats, especially baby ones. Enjoy.

xoxx