In all of the bustle of the season,
The shopping, the decorating, the celebrations,
Don’t forget the unseen,
The homeless, the less-fortunate,
Everything they own on their backs as they roam the streets,
Those who have no safe and cozy place to curl up on a cold night,
No tree with twinkling lights,
No food in their bellies,
Those who face battles we can only imagine,
Invisible soldiers, rarely acknowledged,
Always on the periphery of life.
Look them in the eye,
See their humanity,
Black, white, male, female,
Young and very old.
There but by the grace of God go I.
I can’t fix the problem,
But I can look into their eyes,
Speak to them as the human beings they are,
Help where I can.
Sometimes just a smile and a kind word can be the most precious gifts of all.
(Birmingham has a very large homeless population, especially since the tragedy of Katrina several years ago. There are organizations in place to help, but they are never enough- nor are they a solution to the growing problem. Many are vets, many are elderly…all break my heart.) 
The View from Here 