Breakfast at Sally's - Two: Begging at Fancy; Receiving at Plain ...

For the Breakfast at Sally's conversation on December 13 we are looking at Chapters 3 & 4. Author Richard LeMieux inserts some memories - flashbacks - in the course of setting the scene for each chapter. An Episcopal Church parking lot is where Chapter 3 begins; Sally's is where Chapter 4 will end. We meet Earl, Betty and their daughters; we also encounter Jake - first introduced to us in Chapter 1.
The closest I have ever come to begging would be hitchhiking. I've never had to plead for money, beg for a meal, barter for lodging. Richard paints the picture of the life he used to lead - in his 5600 square-foot waterfront home. He recalls the trip to Europe in celebration of his 50th birthday. He recalls the money he made as a sportswriter, a sales rep. And then, he remembers the day he spent his last dollar - it was Thanksgiving Day, 2002. With no other options that he could think of, he began to steel himself for the task of begging. His first stop: Central Market - the upscale grocery store where he estimates he had spent $192,000 over a period of 20 years of shopping there.
Some questions for us to ponder:

1. Richard calls the parking lot of the Episcopal Church a "sanctuary". What did that word mean to him? What does it mean to you?
2. What is the difference between "begging" and "fund raising"?
3. Does Central Market owe Richard anything? Does Price Chopper (or Sam's Club, or Walmart, or ...) owe you anything?
4. Two beggars are in Lake Placid; it's a Saturday afternoon. One is in front of The Gap on Main Street; the other is in front of Stewarts across from the School. Who do you think will get the most money? Why?
5. Who is the Bible's most famous beggar? (Luke 16:19ff.) What was the impact of the beggar's life on the rich man?
6. To what extent, in your opinion, were Earl, Betty, Melissa and Katie "anonymous" in Bremerton? What are the circumstances that make it possible for a family of four to exist below the radar of Social Services in our community?
7. Sharon was the day-time bartender at the Maple Leaf Tavern (Page 63). She "knew the important things in her world ..." What are the qualities of a bar and the attributes of a bartender that the church might want to emulate?
8. On Page 66, C asks Richard to deliver something to Jake. What did you think was in the bag?
9. Page 67 - Richard writes: "With my stomach full and warm and a few bucks in my pocket, there seemed to be the faintest rebirth of hope, or at least a willingness to not give in to despair." What does it take to knock hope out of you? To restore it?

Looking forward to our time together!