It is January 2nd, 2022. A new year has begun and we hope for a clean slate and a brand new beginning however covid and the loss of loved ones continues.
While driving to Macomb on Monday, I witnessed four eagles standing in a circle in a field adjacent to the highway. There were three adults and one adolescent. It appeared that school was in session!
Moved two of my kitties to “winter quarters” this week as low temperatures were forecast. They seem to be enjoying the larger space and more insulation.
As the Christmas shopping season has come to an end, I spent the last two days at the store closing out the year and doing tax returns. 2021 was a better year than it has been for several years. Thank You.
A very big thank you to the kind person who just scraped my drive. Know that it was greatly appreciated!
For several weeks now, I have avoided talking about the “elephant in the room”. I now think it is time to talk about a situation we have on the Plymouth Square as I have people come from as far away as Quincy asking about the “homeless” person on the Square. On Thanksgiving day I first noticed a lady wrapped in a blanket sitting in the Veteran’s Memorial on the west side of the Square. She was still there that evening and for two weeks more. She had bedding and belongings scattered about her. Eventually there were a large number of food containers stacked on one of the benches from people who tried to help her. After two weeks, I understand that she was forcibly removed from the Memorial though I did not witness the removal. She returned to the Square a short time later and is still there even though the temperature was near zero last night. She seems to be largely living in her car now though she has been offered places to sleep, a place to live and more. She has refused all offers of help. She has family and many other people in our community have tried to help her. It is very difficult to help someone who refuses to be helped.
I now have much greater empathy for larger cities with a “homeless” problem. Though it appears that those cities are not trying to do anything to help, probably they are running into the same dead ends that Plymouth is currently having.
This situation has reached a point that may not be visible to others. Why should the librarian, the post master, the family renovating a building on the Square, the business owners and employees going to work have to dread coming to the Square each day because they do not know what they are going to find. Will her car be parked in front of your business. Will she be sitting in the Memorial, on your bench, on your step or will one find a lifeless body.
There is a fine line between scattering kindness and being taken advantage of and between mental illness and being in charge of ones own life. These lines blur at times as we cross and recross them.
May this situation be resolved soon.
My hope for each of us in the New Year is to have Love, Joy and Peace. “God bless us everyone”.