Single Mother; Needs Help

This morning on the way to work I felt a certain heaviness. Often at the same intersection of Franklin & 280, there is this steadfast woman in the cold with a sign. She says she has work, but it is not enough to support her two kids. I can tell by looking at her that she is not pan-handling. She has definite need - more obvious with the dropping temps, flimsy coat and lack of gloves. This woman is not looking for a crack fix. It is even more obvious by the defeated look in her eyes that tell me she is swallowing every last morsel of her pride to man that corner. I am guessing the kids are in school and this is the small moment in her day to make best use of the morning traffic. The traffic light is always inevitably red as I stop. If I was not on my way to non-profit work where my own hours were cut, I would be more generous. No answers.

And then, strangely enough in my morning news feeds; I stumbled onto Angelina Jolie accepting her OSCAR Humanitarian Award. This would generally seem so incongruous. And I would likely be one of the last to rally for her position in life. But her speech was above heartfelt as she owned her privilege. She compared her life to so many of the world refugees she has met, and asked the audience why she was given the life she has versus someone in a third-world country that deserves far more. She spoke of her reckless path and how she found purpose. To be of use in life. And to me that is profound - how important it is to be of use. Finding a true purpose and being genuine to that.