There but for the grace…………

When I was downtown, I passed a woman with a shopping cart full of what appeared to be all her earthly possessions. She made me think of my mother. Not that my mother was ever in a situation like that, she wasn’t — but from my mother, I learned to look on disadvantaged people as those whose life circumstances had developed differently than mine had. “There but for the grace of God, go I,” she used to say when she came across those who were impoverished, who struggled with drug or alcohol abuse challenges, family dynamics issues, and other difficulties. Right now there’s a lot of talk about homelessness in the town where I live. I’m not sure it’s a greater issue than in any other city, although the local candidates for mayor seem to have made it the primary issue during what is already a contentious campaign season. I don’t have an answer. I believe that a lot of street people have serious challenges with mental illness, I know there are programs designed to help people in dire circumstances and I also realize that some people are not capable of, or are unwilling to, take advantage of services offered. So I try and remember: There but for the grace……………………