Nov 23, 20214 min read

Pam's Daily Wave...

Good Morning and Welcome to a wonderful, if rather chilly, Tuesday 😊

So, this is the first truly chilly day - with a wind-chill of 35 degrees, which I know would be quite tropical for some places in November, but a stark contrast to my T-shirt and shorts weather of last week!

Having spent the first 30 years of my life in a beach-town on the west coast of Scotland....I'm well accustomed to super cold wintry weather (we didn't even have central heat in our family home, until I was about 10 yrs old - but we did have an open fireplace that when the fire was burning, it gave off the kind of heat that warmed you to your core 💗).

My wintry hometown with the beautiful island of Arran in the distance

I would like to begin today's blog, with gratitude 🙏

I'm so grateful, and thankful to the people who take time out of their day to e-mail, message me, and leave comments on my posts. I absolutely love receiving them, I had no idea so many people would enjoy, or see the value in my musings and meanderings. I feel extremely privileged that you would share your stories with me.

Over the upcoming Thanksgiving and Holiday season, we will take time to be thankful for everything we have - family, friends and our lives...🥰

With this in mind I wanted to share an experience I had a few years ago….

Most nights, when I drove home from work, I would pass the same homeless man, standing at the side of the highway with a sign asking for help, (I found out later that he actually slept in the nearby woods). If the traffic stopped, I would give him a couple of $$ to get something to eat. After several weeks, whilst stuck in the inevitable rush hour traffic, as was my usual, I gave him a couple of $$ and he thanked me profusely, but then added that he was so embarrassed to have to live like this, and wanted me to know that he hadn’t always been like this, that he used to have a good life. He had worked in construction, lived in a lovely home with his wife and 2 children. But when the housing industry crashed, his company went bust - he was unemployed, his mortgage arrears piled up and he lost his home. His wife then took the children to live with her parents and he started drinking…. before he knew it, he was a homeless drunk. As of a few weeks ago, he had resolved to stop drinking and was trying really hard to get back on his feet. I thanked him for telling me his story, the traffic started to free up and I drove on to my safe, warm and comfortable home.

A few days later, I was driving home from work on an extremely chilly night, it was freezing cold and on getting stuck in traffic at my usual place, my homeless guy (whose name I had learned was Dave), was in his usual place, I gave him a couple of $$, and after thanking me, let me know that he was now living in a small tent in the woods - he was so relieved to have shelter as the winter had turned quite nasty. In that moment I told him I would be back in an hour or so, if he was still about.

I drove home via a Food Lion, picked up some essential food items and when I got home, I let JB know that I was taking a sleeping bag (that we never used) and some food, to Dave, my homeless guy. Although JB thought I was more than a bit crazy (and that this could be potentially dangerous), it was a busy highway and was well lit. JB then gave me one of his old jackets, a sweatshirt, a woolly scarf and hat. I set off to find Dave, and by this time it was painfully cold.

When I handed Dave the sleeping bag, clothes and food, he started to cry and said that I was his little angel……now, I am by no means an angel :o), but I did feel an incredible warmth in my heart that night

After that, I would see Dave occasionally and tried to make sure I always had some snacks in the car to give him. One night, when the traffic was lighter than usual, and I wasn’t getting stuck in my usual place, Dave flagged me down. I pulled over to a safe spot to stop, and Dave let me know that he had been offered an opportunity with a program that helped homeless people with skills, to enable them to work again. His face was absolutely beaming, he was so genuinely happy and thankful. I didn’t see Dave again, but occasionally I think about him, and wonder if he is now safe, warm, happy….and yes comfortable!

My message this morning is please don't ever assume you know someone's story.....

I know some people may think I live an idyllic or perfect life (....far from it 😂), I too have my challenges - days when I feel weighed down by my worries - The difference is, I choose to try and find the positive....even if it is a hard lesson learned 😉, and have made it a goal of mine, to find as many ways of "coping" that I can....and hopefully to share them with others, who may find them helpful.

So please, next time you see someone who needs help or support….if you can, just try to make things a little easier for them, by providing whatever you can, - be it in the form of taking those jackets/woolly scarfs and hats you never wear, to the local homeless shelter, or making a donation of food, toiletries or cash….trust me, you'll feel that warmth in your heart...... as we all deserve a little comfort, love and positivity in our lives…..😊