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By Sherrie Chaparro, Resident When I was a child, I used to play with a paddle ball, a paddle with a rubber ball attached by a thin elastic string. The goal was to hit the ball and continue to hit it with no misses. On the back of the paddle was a picture of a cowboy on a bucking bronco holding the same paddle. And on that paddle was a picture of a cowboy holding a paddle, with a picture of a cowboy… My mind boggled as I grappled with the concept of infinity. What with climate change and drought, these days there is a lot of talk about the earth and its finite resources. But unlike Mother Nature, we are real human beings with an infinite capacity for compassion, empathy, and kindness. This compassion was in full display on our island over the Christmas holidays, as evidenced by the letter from the Salvation Army printed in last month's View. A young mother and her children were one step away from homelessness when enough of you were moved by her story to donate to the Salvation Army to help pay her rent and buy Christmas presents for the children. But homelessness exists year-round, not just during the holidays. Every homeless person in Hemet has a story, just as poignant as the young woman referred to above. Valley Restart has been providing emergency shelter and services to the residents of the San Jacinto Valley for 25 years. They estimate that approximately half of those seeking their services are families with children under 18. A little over half of their clients are homeless for the first time. The Salvation Army in Hemet also provides shelter, food, and assistance to those in need. So instead of decrying the homeless "problem" in Hemet when you see an encampment or a panhandler on the street, take the time to feel compassion for those less fortunate than you. To paraphrase JFK, ask not what the city can do to eliminate the homeless from its streets, ask what you can do to help. Valley Restart: https://valleyrestart.info Salvation Army: Hemet Corps (salvationarmy.org) 6 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | MARCH 2021 Homeless in Hemet By Anonymous, Resident Once upon a time, there was a young lady who was asked to help escort some "older" church women to the Farmer's Market in Hollywood. The day promised to be one filled with shopping, food and friends. Little did she know what was in store. As soon as the group stepped off the tour bus, they were approached by ushers from a daytime quiz show filming nearby. The ushers asked if they would help out as the group that was supposed to fill the audience seats had canceled. Having come to shop, they resisted but relented when told that perhaps one of them would be picked to be on The Price Is Right. Quickly, they were lined up to be interviewed by the producers. That consisted of "who are you and what do you do?" It seemed to go OK until the young lady was surprisingly chosen to be one of the contestants. She had never watched the game and was not familiar with its rules so you will imagine her shock when she heard her name called and she was asked to "COME ON DOWN." She and three other lucky people lined up in front of the stage where they were asked to guess the price of an item. Recently, she had been shopping for a slide-in range/oven combo with a microwave at the top. In front of her now stood an item very close to one she had been researching! Wouldn't you know it, her guess was the closest and she won! Now she was stuck! She was now in the game and had to make guesses at more prizes of increasing value. The real fun started when the top two winners had to bid against each other for the Showcases. The other contestant made a guess on his. When it was her turn, she threw caution to the wind and guessed $30,000. Mind you, the Showcase included a hand beaded evening gown and swimsuit, a year's supply of Hershey's chocolate syrup, some diamond jewelry and a red Corvette! When the host revealed what the other contestant had bid, the audience broke out in applause and shouting. She thought that he had won. Suddenly, the host turned to her and congratulated her on winning. Stunned, she just stood there. Even though her guess was very far off it had been better than the other contestant's. Yep, she has a video of this moment and it's hilarious! The total value of the Showcase was $52,000. Add in her previous prizes of a Renault Alliance automobile and the Range combo and she had had quite a day. This lady is not exactly young anymore, but you might see her often around "the Island." Any thoughts who this might be? Editor's Note: The identity of Ms. Anonymous can be found elsewhere in this issue. Do You Know This Woman?

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