I became aware and subsequently visited with a woman to whom I was cordially acquainted and who was ill with usually a very long term debilitating disease, but in her case, the disease became extremely accelerated. The woman had three young children that she tried to care for, to little avail during the daytime. The interior of the house was in shambles and dangerous for little children to inhabit. I asked her full time employed spouse if assistance could be provided to her on a daily basis through social services or insurance. He stated that eligibility for home aid care could not be provided through any government agency or insurance. Trying to seek assistance for this woman and her children through charity, I joined a volunteer group at the local Catholic parish. I notified the leader of the group of this woman’s and her children’s plight but was told that this Catholic group only helps the elderly. Thinking that perhaps I could change their minds and obtain assistance for this woman and her children, I joined this unpaid volunteer group where I was assigned to a pleasant woman of Polish descent who lived with extended family members. After accompanying her over a several week time span to medical appointments and assisted shopping excursions, I decided that she did not vitally need my help. In addition, this Catholic volunteer group required that I submit time sheets for the hours spent volunteering. I asked the reason for this nuisance paperwork and was told that the Archdiocese wanted to document the number of people the Church was helping. Returning back to visit the debilitated and incapacitated woman and her three children, I saw three kittens in the house. She informed me that her spouse brought the kittens’ home to her to provide her with company. I thought this to be bizarre. After attending school, daughter offered unpaid volunteer babysitting care for the three youngsters. While minding the children outside one day on our driveway, a car drove by containing teenagers who were shooting paintballs at daughter and the children. This crazy situation aside, a good opportunity is presented to discuss this latest fad and sport of the late 1990’s to early 2000’s. Many youths during this time purchased paintball guns for games of sport. I noticed that this sport activity inflicts considerable pain on the participants when struck by a paintball thus leading to and creating anger and participation in other Capital Sins in the youths.
In the spring of this year, I contemplated together with spouse the possibility of hosting a foster child at our home. Deciding to gain more information on this, I attended a social services informational meeting on foster care. At this meeting I was astonished at the large amount of money provided by this agency on a monthly basis for the care of one child. There was a range of fees paid to foster parents based on the age and circumstances of the child with a top fee paid of $1200 a month for a disabled child. In addition to this monetary amount other allowances were made for clothing and medical care. One person attending the meeting asked if social services also pays for college. A single person was inquiring about hosting a foster child and was apparently eligible to do this. I left this meeting saddened and no longer desired to host a disadvantaged child at our home.
Prior to beginning monetarily paid employment, an odd visit was paid to me by a parent of a friend, of a family member. Invited by me into our house, this person who I discovered to live in a wealthy neighborhood inquired of me of my opinion on the installation of both indoor and outdoor in ground swimming pools that this person was contemplating installing at this person’s home. As our family does not have an in ground swimming pool, I especially thought this inquiry to be bizarre. After much