Thanksgiving Acts

For this year's Thanksgiving post, I am attaching a picture and link to this story about Earl. My good blog friend Brenda is searching for his family after Earl, a homeless man, had a stroke. In this holiday where family is so important, it breaks my heart to think of someone wanting to be with their family and not being able to, simply because you can not remember where they are.

For all the Earl's out there, I pray to God that though you are alone physically, may your spirit and thoughts be inhibited with all your favorite memories of loved ones and may the joy of those thoughts bring you comfort this Thanksgiving.

To all my lovely friends may you also have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving surrounded by those that make you smile and bring you happiness be they family or friends,
- Virginia Gal.

Looking For Earl
Tonight I went downtown to visit and feed my homeless friends and much has transpired this week. Some of them are using the shelter and some of them have been hired to be bell ringers for the Salvation Army...but there were not as many as usual...but what is weighing on my heart is Earl...do you remember Earl? I posted his picture once and told you all how delightful he was and he is so full of lively stories, but always the gentleman and always appreciative. Well, Earl had a stroke at the beginning of the week and he spent a few days in the hospital, but he is out now and I knew instantly that something had happened to him when I saw him. To make a long story short, I am going to make every effort I can to find his family...he needs to be with them...that's where all of you can help if you so kindly would. I asked him if there was someone I could call for him and he said yes...but he doesn't remember their number and he is having major difficulty with his speech so I cannot make out what he is saying. I tried to get him to write for me, but that didn't work out either. I believe he wants me to help him by finding one of his relatives so I am making up an email to send out with his picture and I am asking all of you to do the same. His name is Earl Hill and I know he is from Tennessee, but I think he also has family in and around Phoenix, Arizona and somewhere in Washington state. He's such a sweetheart and it breaks my heart that he is "stuck" here when he really needs his family. So please copy and paste his picture and send it out in an email to anyone you can think of and just maybe someone will recognize him and provide a link. You can add my email address as a contact person and you can even put his picture on your blog (or just mention it) if you think it would help. There are times when the world really doesn't seem that big and I'm hoping this is one of those times and maybe this won't work, but at least we can give it a try?
http://justjoninjava.blogspot.com/2008/11/looking-for-earls-family.html