Blessed & Guilty, Yet Never Hopeless

I feel so blessed and yet so guilty. I have a wonderful job, a roof over my head and a loving family.
I live in the Silicon Valley. In the heart of the world’s tech hub. On my daily trip into work I drive by Cisco, SunPower, Intel, and Samsung. Most days the “faster” route takes me past Protein Simple, Fetch Robotics, Calix, Vander-Bender, Lumileds and Paypal as I get on 87. Other days when I choose to ignore my navigation, I peruse by elemental8, LG Display, Google Express, and NBC/Telemundo. Either way, I can’t ignore what I see. I see the unhoused in their RVs yet I know they aren’t there parked for recreational purposes. You and I, we see them.
I feel so blessed, yet so guilty. I wake up in a warm home, throw on my running gear, and head out to run the Guadalupe River.
The river is beautiful at all times of the year. The wildlife is amazing. The birds are so gorgeous. Some days on my run, I head towards Alviso. Condos, apartments and a mobile home park with a lake are built along the riverbank. Their grounds are always so immaculately manicured. All you hear is nature. Then I run under 237 and onto the other side, the homes transformed to tents and makeshift wood structures. No matter how fast I run, I see my unhoused neighbors. You and I, we see them.
I feel so blessed, so guilty.
My drive to work takes me on 87 to 280. As I drive on the overpass getting onto 280, I see the skyline of San Jose’s thriving downtown. In my sightline, I see EY, the Hilton, Adobe, the Performing Arts Center, the Children’s Discovery Museum, the PWC building. Then I look down and see the encampments. We see them.
Blessed and guilty yet never hopeless.
Off of East Virginia sits the old Dole cannery. The building is colorful and its employees vibrant. There is an energy and bustle that starts before dawn breaks and continues onto the late evening hours after the sun has retired. This place is Gardner Health Services. It is hope.
The staff sees it all. They see the desperation. They see the disparities. They see the unhoused. They see the hopeless. They see the pain. They see the sick and the weary, but most fundamental they see the human in every person who walks through the doors needing to be seen.
This season of giving let us share our blessings to help Gardner Health Services continue to see the humans in the unseen. Donate Now.
Sincerely,
A Blessed Donor