You’re not an idiot. I’ve had a similar situation happen with me when our daughter was young. We gave money to a woman and her daughter who said they were stranded and needed bus money home. We later saw them eating at a fast food place. Our daughter was crushed to learn she’d been lied to. I kind of expected it (sorry, not a real funny story).
It always hurts a little bit when someone takes advantage of us, but the truth is, it is on the liars head, not yours. You acted with a good conscience.
Someone mentioned helping the homeless through Goodwill and other organizations. We are involved with a Christian organization that ministers to the homeless on the streets and in the parks of west Phoenix. They do a great service and we have seen street people’s lives change. They are always have needs. Our church is collecting needed items for Christmas gifts. This is another way to help the homeless.
http://www.youmatterministries.com
Merry Christmas and blessings on you and your family. Charity lives on in your heart!
The other evening I was doing my laundry at the local Laundromat. There was a young woman with a young child doing her laundry - we were the only people in the place. The little girl, Jordan, about 2 years old was very sweet and cute BTW. The mom tried to buy some laundry detergent out of the vending machine but the machine was broken - it took her money but didn’t dispense the detergent. I saw this happen; I saw the look of desperation and frustration on her face.
She very sheepishly came up to me asking if she could buy some detergent from me, holding out what I presumed by looking at her, was probably her last few quarters. I gave her a couple of my laundry detergent pods and told her that I didn’t want any money for them. She thanked me repeatedly - she was on the verge of tears. Then we got to talking. She told me that her husband had recently walked out on her and Jordan but that it was probably for the best, as she said to me, “He wasn’t very nice to me and Jordan”, then I noticed the very visible bruise on her cheek. She told me she had no car, very little money and they had walked to the Laundromat from their apartment several blocks away but that she had a part time job and was looking for another so that they’d be OK – things would get better, that she was praying really hard and believed that God would provide.
I had no doubt that what she was telling me was probably true. After all, she offered to buy some detergent from me, she didn’t ask me to “give” her anything; and she didn’t give me some sort of sob story before I gave her some of my extra detergent.
On my way out, as she wasn’t looking and I was saying goodbye to Jordan and wishing her a Very Merry Christmas, I slipped a $5 bill into her mother’s laundry basket. I remember a time not so very long ago when I was out of work and had to scrounge money to do my laundry. I’m in a much better place financially now so giving $5 and some laundry detergent to someone who could probably use it, is not a big deal. I hope that Jordan and her mom make it and that one day when she is in a better place, she will remember a little random act of kindness from a stranger and do the same for someone else.
I will also mention that I am not a Christian - I am not religious and not a believer in God myself, but that I hold to the Christian spirit of charity; at all times but especially at this time of year.