Young and in the streets.

I saw a very young man on the subway asking for money. He looked like he was barely a teenager, and the guy smelled bad. As I observed this, I couldn’t help but wonder how this can happen to such a young man. My heart broke and I felt for him.

When I see young kids like this in trouble I can’t help but fear for my own son, nephews, and my younger sisters. I would never let this ever happen to any of them, a large series of really unfortunate events would have to occur before any of my young ones ever end up like that.

First of all, I know that I would have to be dead. My entire family as well, would have to be dead. All of us would have to be dead so that one of our precious youngsters would have to beg for money on the subway. I would not have any family of mine in that situation, and I believe my family would do the same for mine.

That being said, I wonder if this kid has family that loves and cares for him, perhaps he’s a runaway? I wanted to pull the kid  to the side and talk to him. I wanted to inquire as to how he ended up in this terrible situation. But I didn’t have the guts to do it. I started to do it, then I choked.

When he passed by me I took out my wallet and gave him a $20 bill. That donation will not break my bank, and could possibly help him out a lot. Even if he’s fooling me, I couldn’t ignore this kid’s plea. The kid looked at the bill with his head down and said “Wow, thanks man, God bless you man, thank you.”  I nodded and wished him all the best.

It’s a crying shame to see a young man in the subway asking people for money and food. I do hope this kid finds his way, and I’m sorry that today I couldn’t be the one to guide him. Apologies and God bless.