Why does needing assistance mean that we have to choose between our pride, our ability to stand up tall, and feeding our children? It shouldn't. As a whole, we should be less selfish. We should be glad we are alleviating a heavy burden from struggling parents. We should be grateful we live in a country that has a system to help them. And I know that some abuse the system, or don't try to help themselves out of the situation they are in, but that doesn't give us any right to throw them all into one category.
I'm grateful my family is in a better place. But a year ago our lives were very different, and every time I had to swipe that card, I tried to do it as quick as I could. I didn't want anyone to see. I felt ashamed. I felt judged.
Yesterday, I watched a young Mother with her 3 kids. She avoided eye contact with the cashier, looked at the ground, hoped no one would notice. I saw the blue card swiped and quickly placed in her back pocket. She watched the prompts nervously hoping it would go through. She was me a year ago. She looked at her 3 small boys and then I smiled at her. I told her she had a beautiful family and she thanked me before pushing her boys and groceries out to the car.
These families on assistance are not horrible people. A lot of them are people who put their pride aside and risk being belittled so they can be sure their families eat. A lot of them are even our Veterans. So next time you see a well dressed Mom, a stressed out Mom, a single Dad or a large family on welfare, just smile and tell them they have a beautiful family. You don't know everyone's story, you don't know their burdens, but maybe you can help them feel a little less small.
Let's be kind to one another, life is already hard enough.
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