What we have found in this country, and maybe we’re more aware of it now, is one problem that we’ve had, even in the best of times, and that is the people who are sleeping on the grates, the homeless, you might say, by choice. Ronald Reagan
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***Special Comment:  I realize that people want to deck the halls, “Joy To the World” etc., but I am not trying to rain on your holiday spirit.  This is something that has been close to my heart for a long time.***

You probably have walked by them, maybe helped them, or even thought they are there on purpose.  They are from all walks of life, age, and gender.  Every day for them is a struggle for survival.  For a brief time I lived in a Northern Canadian city, it was a learning process, a shock to my senses, and broke my heart every day.  

In larger urban centers people become innocuous to the sight of them.  They become faded into the fabric of the background.  See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil!

Some believe that they can change, get a job, live in an apartment, etc.,  The fly in the ointment is this, they did not choose to be where they are.  Some it was the financial well went dry, others left home thinking the big city would bring them success, the rest have issues with their mental health.

Consider these facts:

• According to The Canadian Encyclopedia there is at least 235,000 homeless in Canada
• In the States according to Housing and Urban Development there were 553,000 in 2018
• The National Center On Family Homelessness reports that there is 2.5 million homeless children in the United States.

So, during these Holidays when you think you didn’t get anything you wanted, think about these people.  

They are the forgotten!