Went to the mall tonight

I ventured out to the mall tonight to buy dog food since I had a real nice coupon for six dollars off Iams dog food, just the food that I feed my dog, Ginger, who by the way is getting too big for her britches. The truth is Ginger is doing sooooo much better. She has learned to fetch, sit, wait, go, stop, and is finally not making me chase her around the yard. I wonder what list she has going on me, too. Since she does bring her little fetching toy to me when she gets bored and will press it against my legs to get my attention. I love her and the doggie knows it.

Anyway, so I went to the mall, to get some dog food, soft and dry. I looked around and around until I found the food, debated, compared prices and made the decision to pay for my items. So as I waited in line there was this young family in front of me. They had bought some dog food, a mother, a dad and two daughters. As the mother fumbled with her secret number she explained that they had just moved to Florida from Georgia. The sales gal asked, "Oh why did you do that?" She must be from up north or has never gotten out of Florida, I don't know which, but I do remember a moment of awkward silence and the young woman trying to recall the secret number. Finally she got it, saying she had just opened some new account and was trying to remember the number. I looked at the husband behind her watching her put in the numbers. A myriad of things went through my mind. Had he been laid off? Were they looking for work here? Why would they be moving in the middle of the school year? Were they going through some desperate times? Maybe that was all speculation, I don't know. But I do know she was able to remember her numbers and they happily left the store.

I proceeded with my purchase and walked out the store. Next I went to the parking lot, and saw a mid size station wagon with a travel trunk on the hood of the car of the kind you put when you are traveling and you don't have enough room in the trunk. I wondered what is going on here? Are they the same family, but no a slender man stepped out of that car, not the man I had seen earlier. Were they homeless? I have seen some of that in the last year.

Then I drove around the corner to go home, and I saw a couple holding up a sign, asking for food. It said they needed food and help getting home. I was ashamed because I had no change of any kind and had nothing to give them. So I decided to drive to Burger King and got them some simple hamburgers, got some change, and drove back to the mall. I wondered if they were still there or had they been sent away by security, but no, they were still there and I gave them the food and I looked at them without much to say, and only a smile while they blessed me several times. I was a little numb from what I had seen. I never venture out at night, so I hadn't seen what is going on when it gets dark. Our streets are filled with quiet desperation, and I know that is not an exaggeration.

I also do not know the solution but there must be some way to help. I don't what will happen when gas goes up to five dollars a gallon