A Seat At The Table

For those of you who don't know, I've been feeding the homeless on a weekly basis in the greater Pasadena area for over a decade. We bring the food to a park where there are a couple of picnic tables and we serve food there. While making sure that everyone who shows up gets a nutritious hot meal is the highest priority, we encourage people to sit at a table and eat their meal there. Some do so regularly.

The point is that everyone is welcome to a seat at the table. Logistically that wasn't always possible - those two tables might seat a total of 12-16 people, and in years past we fed as many seventy people during an evening and we had a lot of people sitting in groups of twos and threes eating together on the grass.

We get all types of people. I'd like to describe two of them who were sharing a table last night. I will not use their names, and in an effort to protect their identities, I will be somewhat vague in the details that follow. One of them happened to have a criminal past, and it was during his incarceration he was diagnosed with some psychological issues for which he now takes three kinds of medication to help him cope. He fulfilled all the conditions of his parole and was about to enter a job training program when the pandemic struck, resulting in the cancellation of the classes he was scheduled to attend.  He still shows up regularly though not necessarily every week; there are days when he hasn't taken his meds and he knows that he can say things he will regret later so he'll choose to isolate himself.  The other comes from what most would probably describe as being at the other end of any spectrum that might include both of these people. This person has among things worked in the White House in Washington as a press secretary for a cabinet member, written speeches for various heads of state. Unfortunately, problems with addictive behavior has led to him living outdoors.

Perhaps the metaphor would be better if the tables were round so that there could be no perceived hierarchy based on where one sat in relation to the head of the table, but the point remains, there a place for anyone to come have a family dinner.