There once lived a woman named Martha. I cannot recall her last name. She’d come to the window where I cooked breakfast and lunch, when I was a short-order cook. She ordered a double burger.
She grew vegetables at the place where I worked, tended the landscaping, and tried to keep busy. I knew her only as Martha, and she smiled often enough. She was poor, financially, but rich in non-worldly things. She seemed always congenial.
Two years ago I saw her face and name mentioned in a local paper. She’d frozen to death, you see, in her vehicle, on her land which she owned outright. She’d been abused by some spouse or circumstance earlier in her life. She was afraid to be inside some kinds of buildings, like the free “trailer” that the locals had provided for her shelter, because of this trauma.
Instead, she let her animals live inside there so they could be warm. The animals were fine. They found Martha when people began to wonder where she was. She’d been dead a while.
I remember her. I remember because we are too soon and oft forgotten once we die. It is a duty for me to recall those I’ve known in my life, to keep their memories alive. This is a simple act of love, and it serves a purpose, because we all want to feel important, and to be remembered, don’t we?
The Arizona Daily Sun reported about a man found dead in the local area here; he died of exposure to cold. It isn’t even the coldest part of winter yet, but it speaks to the problem: the homeless, the disadvantaged, the unemployed (especially those long-term unemployed who’ve given-up hope), the injured, the mentally ill, the sick, and (especially) the elderly.
They all live here in Flagstaff, where temperatures drop below zero each winter, regularly, predictably, and mercilessly. I won’t forget the man who died, referenced in the Sun’s article either; I don’t need his name. I wil remember him. Death is life’s ironic fact, yet I know it is needless and cruel to allow fellow humans to die a cold death in the midst of plenty.
The Snow Bowl skiing is great, the snowplay is great, and the geology and sights around Flagstaff are incredible. But we seem to ignore those folks walking Rte. 66, with blankets. They sleep there, there, or somewhere, at night, in sub-zero F. temperatures. Many go to sleep and never awaken. We, as a society allow this. We forget. And they’re everywhere, not just in Flagstaff.
We also have birthday parties for our dogs. We purchase very expensive vehicles and toys. We spend upon ourselves and lavish ourselves and family with trinkets and toys which are nice, and which are given to loved ones who perhaps deserve such; but have we forgotten those whom we should be loving?
How might we resolve the homeless situation? I have no clear answer, other than love. It is a simple act of love to offer a meal, a blanket, a coat, a bed, a shower, or any of the amenities we so often take for granted.
Who should be doing it? The government? That won’t happen any time soon. The churches? Yes, they try. The societies set-up to help those in need? Yes, of course.
But…what’s the best way to proceed to solve this problem? Well, look in the mirror.