As the hustle and bustle of the Saturday Farmer’s Market surrounded us, Christian and John sat on the sidewalk, working quietly. Their product was Palm Art, weaving crosses and flowers from strips of palm frond. This seems to be a favorite task for the homeless; I have no idea how many people buy these. Christian and John were not overrun with customers. This is becoming more prevalent in our area. Having visited Savannah, it is VERY popular in the Historic District.

John was the more talkative of the two. He had an athletic scholarship at Central Michigan University, but lost it when he “blew out” his knee. He then moved to Florida to live with his parents. After a family fight, he was thrown out of the house, and is currently homeless. One observer pointed out his expensively styled hair, congruent with the homelessness being recent – and hopefully, temporary.

Christian was very soft spoken. As I often do with the Palm Artists, I purchased one of the flowers and asked him to give it to a child – tell the child that someone bought it for him / her. He thanked me profusely, and ‘God blessed’ a few times. Often the homeless are religious and feel close to God.

Food for thought.