To the editors:
We are both fighting alcoholism, have absolutely no insurance, and have about $25,000 worth of debts. My husband, having alcohol-induced convulsions, has been in and out of hospitals, and a $10,000 treatment center, which we can’t pay for. We aren’t working, and can barely pay each month’s rent. It’s a non-subsidized factory space, dirty and windowless, not hardly the “Eurostyle” loft this area is known for. A late-night, rowdy bar beneath, and bums in the hall really make the $250 rent increase we just got really worth it–yeah, right! We do owe our landlord $4,000 from last year. Not on a lease anymore, he could kick us out. But doesn’t–I think he knows our situation–and allows us just to live, to survive. Besides, we have no place to go, and can’t afford to move. Not yet at least–we have been selling all our possessions for the cash.
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I don’t mean to tell anyone what to do. Construing that someone is in need by looks alone is very blind-sighted in my opinion. It makes the giver feel that they’ve done their Christian duty for the day. Only they are not thinking beyond the moment. Could someone feel that God keeps a score card and awards points for such generosity?
