I was reading Chris Reeves post on being poor at Christmas. It was very touching.
I got so upset this past week that it pretty much put me in bed after observing some things I have really taken notice of at Chtistmas, here in Florida.
I went into a business and there was a bucket set up. The bucket had a sign that said, “ Needful Items, please give”. I asked the proprieter what the bucket was for. She said, “ There are homeless people who come in here and they take these items”. We can’t keep enough tampax and baby wipes in the bucket. I stood there looking in the bucket. There were little travel bottles of shampoo, lotion, feminine wipes, toilet paper, and items we take for granted. There were just a few items of kleenex, aspirin, and paper towels. I saw no bottled water, or reading glasses or hand soap. I cringed with disgust about the people who voted for Scott and DeSantis.
It is amazing to see some of these people who I feel voted for him walking around with bags of cookies, bags of Dept. Store jeans and little Christmas lights and walking past the bucket. They did not even notice the bucket of “ Needful things” in the window. It is also amazing how one takes notice of these things when you get older. I don’t remember EVER seeing things such as this as a little girl. NEVER. I have a pretty good memory and people that I knew took care of needs if they knew of them back in my day. I was blessed, lucky or something to have been brought up in a day and time that empathy and concern for those who have less get attention without signs in the windows. What have we become?
I see truckloads of people, not states or FEMA gathering to give to places like Puerto Rico and Hurricane Michael. I see many small churches gathering to help those in dire straits. I now look at people and think, “ I wonder if they voted for greedy bastards who are looking out for #1”. Why? Why is it not bad enough that we have a country so full of corruption and chaos on top of the hungry, homeless and people hurting? No. People do not deserve this kind of want. Half of the states or country wanted better. I am tempted to put little notes in and say, “ Thank a democrat or liberal for these things you have received”. Or just put in a note and say, “ Wishing you better days, Love, a Voting Liberal”. The owner told me that at least 450 Homeless in this small town come in and get their wipes, or tampax or shampoo at least once a week. She voted republican. I asked her, So you have the bucket, which is good, how much have you contributed”? She dropped her head. I said, “ Ah, waiting on the liberals to give, huh”? Her face turned red. I did not care. She admitted she just put up the bucket. She had enough to do with her own. I knew better. She has 8 Foster kids and gets 600 each for them. Quite a chunk of change. Other take in children and grandkids and skate by the skin of their teeth and I told her so. She said, “ I did not know that”. I was not very happy with what I was witnessing.
My husband told me he is beginning to recognize those who are in need. We see so many standing on the corners with signs. Most of us in this small rural type town are not well to do. It breaks my heart and is only getting worse.
I went to Subway the other day. I saw a small tree ( we all see them in businesses ) and as I waited on my tuna, I walked over to the tree with names on it. One stood out. We know these angel trees. This was set up for the Foster children in state care. Now I found this to be kind of strange since I had adopted 4 of my grandkids out of state care but what many people do not realize …..grandparents do not get the extra funds for guardianship of grandkids. ( it is hard). They don’t even get food stamps.
I saw one tag that requested one simple item. Butt paste. This is a type of zinc oxide for diaper rash and I know it well because sometimes babies are allergic to scented diapers or just get a really bad case of diaper rash. I dealt with it on our youngest till I found out she was allergic to scented diapers. Butt Paste is a miracle cream. What I found heartbreaking is this was medicine. Not toys. I wondered why the state was not providing it. Well, I took the tag and looked at other names. It said..4 yr old...books. I wandered all around the tree leaving my 13 year old to add the toppings on our tunas. I saw odd requests. one bottle of fingernail polish.. One 10.00 McDonald gift certificate. One small fire engine.. Not big ..it was in noted… Small little truck.. Used will do. I was picking names and tags off that tree without a second thought. I don’t have money.. I am below poverty rate but it did not matter. I walked up to our 13 year old and said, “ We need to go through more of your toys again and (we normally give them up for donations) and we need to really go through those stuffed animals. I handed her the tags to place in her purse. She is more organized in her little purse than me.
I walked to the cashier and said, “ What happens if no one takes all the tags off the tree?” They said, “ We try to pool our money together and get what we can”. I came home and talked to my husband who knows and is good friends with a music merchant in town...The wonderful PR owner sent a truckload of needful things to Hurricane Maria and Michael victims. We are going to encourage some of these business owners to adopt those tag trees. This is sad.. Butt Paste.. My heart broke. This was not even toys and says a lot about Scott’s republican state. I don’t remember Ga being so needful when it came to Christmas.
When you go buy Christmas this year...please look for a bucket or a tree that reads, “ Needful things”. I know we are better than this as humans. The problem is, little children do not understand why they are left behind. How could they? I don’t understand. Maybe some churches have a pang of guilt around Christmas and do something but what about the rest of the year? Just how many boats do you republicans need? Just how many BMW’s ? How many cell phones? How many color coordinated sheets and pillowcases? ME ME ME ME. This country has become a ME world and I don’t like it. Christmas for those who celebrate, should not be all about needful things like a tooth fixed, butt paste, feminine products, or cough syrup. It should be about giving and seeing children smile. It should be a healtheir way of life. It should be but like everything else, we are quickly becoming a Banana Republic under obligarchs who sit in their fine homes and drive their fancy cars while others work if they can find it in hard jobs, most two or three and hope next year will be better. Am I envious? Hell No. I don’t want their miserable lives. We made a good start with electing so many dems across the country but we should have more. Let’s make sure we obliviate the Republican party into nothingness.
Shame on you America. Shame on you Florida. Shame on all of the greedy. I also will say, Shame on liberals who say places like Florida and Texas deserve what they get. NO THEY DON’T.
I am truly sick of this crap where people with enough even strained are having to care for the people who cannot afford the simplest of needful things, while the well to do keep taking and taking and taking. They are the most miserable people in the world. I am reminded, “ What will a man give in exchange for their soul”? The answer is clear. Nothing for thee and all for me. My heart breaks for those who have no money for needful things. As for me and mine..We need nothing but to give to those who are less fortunate. Most dems and liberals give till it hurts. Republicans may give some at Christmas but there are 364 other days in the year. Happy Holidays. It’s not Happy for all.
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