ALL MY EARTHLY POSSESSIONS…

I’m sure homelessness exists everywhere.  But in Southern California, it is ever-present.  I don’t know how you feel about this growing problem, but it gets to me.  I once heard a man tell how he would distribute Taco Bell employment applications to homeless people who might be standing on the corner asking for help.  That made me sad.  I’m not willing to project myself as a judge regarding their ability to work.  In fact, I make it a habit of helping these folks when and where I can.  Oh sure, I realize some are perfectly capable of working – and may even be scamming me for a handout. But that doesn’t really bother me, because I know somewhere along the way I’ve helped someone who genuinely needed it.  And, that’s really what’s important to me.

On a recent photo shoot I, rather unexpectedly, came across a homeless man living along this little-used railroad track.  All of his earthly possessions were contained in a few plastic bags that had been carefully arranged in a misplaced shopping cart.  Though watching my every move, he was uninterested in becoming a part of what I was doing – making certain he was not in my frame.  I nodded, grabbed a few shots, offered some help, and then was on my way.

All My Earthly Possessions

For whatever I have, may I always be thankful!

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~ by photographyfree4all on July 15, 2011.