Free to be The guy on the street

Have you ever heard the song by Emerson Drive entitled "I've had my moments" of  love in the sun, moments when I was second to none. Anyhow you get the gist. It's about a homeless guy who wasn't always homeless, who was a hero to his family and to his country. There are lots of hero's that don't look like heroes anymore. They fought for this country and they were valiant. They raised families and struggled to do the right thing for the right reason. Maybe, the next time that you see one of these folks you can look at them with the eyes of compassion.
Sometimes my homeless folks smell bad and are very distressing to look at. Sometimes we need to look at the fact that there but for the grace of God go I.
I ran into a gentleman who was rather elderly. He was a veteran of World War II. He was sitting in a bus bench drinking a concoction of vodka and Thunderbird wine. I believe he was 85 years old and somehow over the years Hope had faded. How does it happened that a human being who once had self-respect and dignity can come to this tragic state. How can it be that when we live in the most affluent country in the world have our heroes living on the street. This is someone's father and someone son. This may very well have been someone to be respected and admired at one time. How did this poor soul come to such a sad state of affairs?
Is it possible that I could find myself in such dire straits? Is it possible that you ,my friends, could find yourself in a similar situation? Are we so very different?

Yes we have a job and we have a place to rest our heads at night that is sheltered from the elements. Do we, you and I, need to remember that"there but for the grace of God go I."
The question I asked myself and I ask you is "what can I do? Is there anything that I can do that will make a difference? What can I do to serve those who are less fortunate than I am?