Awareness

Indigent and homeless, the

Mother’s only joy was her

Precious little daughter.

Employed at minimum wage at a

College two bus rides away, she

Used all her energy that wintry

Night to get them to the shelter

In time for a bed. The bus ran late.

One car stopped to offer a ride

Up the long, steep Boston hill. That

Surprising moment is with them still.

Thank you, Helene C.

I heard this story on NPR. The snow was falling very hard. A woman driving home from work noticed a woman and small child at a bus stop at the bottom of a long hill. She stopped to offer them a ride home. During those few minutes together, the driver learned that even though college classes were cancelled due to the storm, the service workers were still required to show up. Stopping at daycare to get her child was part of this mother’s daily journey. The driver was astounded to hear that their destination was a homeless shelter. It got me thinking. Some corporations and institutions offer daycare for their ‘professional’ employees’ children. How many offer this to others in their employ?