Friday, Oct. 15, 2004
3:11 p.m.

Saw these two just outside of town Sunday morning around seven as we were driving to the city.

Today I put in the last of my hours at the arena. Three hours of mopping those black rubber floors, after Karen had already done it once. She worked there last night till 3 a.m.

By the time I was coming down the home stretch, I was feeling pretty good about getting finished. I was just sweeping the final section one more time before giving it a mop, and was sweeping the dirt out through the back door, when I looked behind it and saw a man and a woman stretched out against the wall behind the door, in the corner. They were looking content enough to lounge in the sunshine, but they had two shopping carts full of blankets -- a good sign that they are among the homeless who populate Kelowna's downtown parks and public areas. Anyway, I said hello, they grinned and said hello back, and I went back inside to finish mopping.

You hear a lot about the homeless people in this city, and since it's been on the radio and in the newspapers, every time I see someone with a packsack or pushing a shopping cart downtown I wonder if they are homeless. Often it's fairly obvious, I guess.

I had meant to make a donation to buy some Thanksgiving dinners for some of them before I left for Saskatchewan last weekend, but hadn't gotten around to it.

I had stuck a twenty-dollar bill into my jeans pocket before leaving the house this morning, and I remembered that and thought these two could probably use it. So I pushed open the door again and said to them, "Need some cash?"

Those are the exact words my Grandpa Benson used to say to me All The Time. I could almost hear his voice as I repeated them today.

The man accepted the bill, said "Thanks, Luv," and I replied, "Enjoy it" and slipped back inside.

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