Help Those in Need

The aroma of sweet turkey filled the room. A sea of delight stretched across white, linen cloth. Chairs were at the ready, awaiting those, who would feast. Laughter was the music to holiday, and warm memories roasted in joy. But one chair would remain empty. The burden beyond the comfort of home closed the door on the company of the one taken away by bound responsibility.

If it were up to him, he would have gone. He would ride the hours in traffic to the place of festivities. He would laugh and converse, savor the pleasant memories. He would bask in the warmth of love and friendship. It was not up to him. Instead, he would remain alone, watching time pass by, and wait until the hour came, where he must go to work. If he called in, they would fire him. If he were late, they would fire him. With jobs being so slim nowadays, there was no chancing loss of employment. If that meant sacrificing holiday, then so be it. He didn't have a choice, so he stood beside the bedroom window, watching the family car pull away from the driveway and leave him behind, stuck with the burden beyond the comfort of home.

Whispers of layoffs were like a soft pendulum swinging gently over our heads. When the axe would fall, nobody would know, but now we do. Layoffs are no longer just a bad nightmare, one that you could return from. The axe was falling. The news confirmed it, slicing into the heart of holiday and chilling memories begging to be warm. Conversation was strained, trying to move away from sensitive issues, but nobody was unaffected. Whether they wanted to admit it or not, next year could be different, less joyous and intensely strenuous. As they gathered together on this festive holiday, they wondered if their bonds would hold, if strength would prevail, and if would they recover, if knocked down? Nobody knew, but they wished they did.

The truth is that a harsh winter is coming. Now, we dance along the edge, holding on to where we stand, but we can't escape the fall down. There is nothing to grab on to. There is no hand to hold ours. It is a long way down, and the climb back up could take forever. But we don't have forever.

What we need is each other. We need to work together to keep the ground under our feet. We need to survive. We have families that depend on us, but how could we feed and clothe them without a source of income? There are no breadlines to guarantee food, and sales might be reigning now. But can we still afford to shop, spend money already claimed by growing bills? Something has to be done. Something has to give. Someone has to have someone to get through the harsh times ahead.

Town Halls are the heart of town. Why not make it so? Why not put our elected officials to work, having them branch out and coordinate ways with charities and grocery chains to ensure that their constituents are able to survive? If they are already doing so, then God bless them. If they are not, maybe they need some encouragement. We did put them in office for a reason, and the people need them. They need someone to rely on, someone to help those in need.