***WARNING*** Serious Post Ahead!

Lately I have been feeling very grateful for the things I've been blessed with in this life. Seeing all of the terrible things that are going on with our economy, the social unrest, poverty, lack of morality, etc. has made me do some serious reflecting on how I have been blessed.

Robert and I are by no means "wealthy," but we are able to pay our bills, set aside for savings, and have extra to spare. We have a comfortable place to live, cars that work, warm clothes, food to eat, and each other. We have faith in Jesus Christ and a testimony of His gospel. Compared to most of the world, we are rich.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me to relate to him an experience I had with my dad when I was younger. Ever since then, I have been reminded again and again of the principle I was taught by that experience.

When I was 9 or 10, I went to the grocery store with my dad one afternoon. There was a homeless lady sitting outside the grocery store begging for money. When we walked by her, she asked my dad for some money and he told her he didn't have any cash. While we were shopping, my dad put an extra loaf of bread, some peanut butter, jam, and a few other things in the cart. He asked the checker to put them in a seperate bag and had me hand the lady the bag as we walked out. She thanked us with a "God bless you," and we walked to the car. After we put the groceries in the car, my dad sat there and didn't start the engine. I asked him why we weren't leaving and he said that he wanted to watch the homeless lady for a while. After being in the car for a few minutes, we saw the lady walk over the the trash can and throw the bag we gave her away. I was angry. I thought "how dare she!" I asked my dad if he was going to say something to the woman, and he said that he wasn't because it was her choice to do whatever she wanted with what she was given. He said that she probably wanted money for drugs or alcohol, and that he wasn't going to aid her in her addictions, but that she still needed help and he felt it was his responsibility to help those who were in need.

I hadn't thought about that for a long time until my friend asked me about it. And since he asked me about it, I can't stop thinking about it. If you are LDS, you are probably familiar with the scripture in the Book of Mormon in Alma 34 that says if we pray for things, but neglect to feed the hungry and help the needy, our prayer is in vain. That scripture has weighed heavy on my mind and heart lately and so I have prayed for opportunities to help those who are in need.

Here's where the dead-serious part comes in. As I was driving to work yesterday morning, I saw a man walking down the street without a coat. He had wrapped his arms around himself and was all bent over as he was walking. It was very cold yesterday morning. The thought popped into my head that I had a fleece jacket in my car and that I should give it to him. Then the thought came that "I just bought that fleece jacket and who gives their jacket to some guy on the street?" The light turned green and I continued to work.

I've been bothered by this since then. I feel so terrible that I prayed for an opportunity, it came, and I ignored it. I also feel terrible about letting the man go jacketless down the street. What if he freezes to death or catches pneumonia?

Why am I writing about this? I don't know. Maybe to clear my conscience?

Since what happened yesterday, I have an even greater resolve to help those who have less because I have so much. I don't know what the world will bring. Robert and I have jobs now, but with the economy the way it is, you just never know. I want to be able to help those in need and hope that it would be returned if I ever needed help. I also want to form the habit of giving now so that my children will see an example of it, just like I saw from my father.

So, the next time I see someone walking down the street cold and jacketless, I will stop and offer them my extra fleece in the trunk.