The Homeless Woman and Her Mysterious Baby


There's a homeless woman who occasionally hangs out in a shopping center. She pushes a shopping cart with one hand, and clutches her "baby" swaddled in a blanket with the other.

Tonight she's dressed in a lightweight sweater, a skirt, and flip flops--oblivious to the 60 degree weather.

She circles the parking lot, calm and content.  She doesn't say a word.  Stroking the baby constantly and gently, she holds the baby close to her heart.  Every now and then, she stops the cart and lifts the blanket slightly to gaze at her bundle of joy.  This goes on for hours.

Most people are afraid of her; others are used to her presence.

Sometimes she rummages through the cart and pulls out a coin purse.  Still clutching her baby with one hand, she parks the cart near the door of a fast food restaurant and goes in.  She usually comes out within minutes without the food.

I've seen her several times, at nighttime and daytime.  During the daytime, she's not clutching her baby and seems more coherent.

She's an unusual homeless woman with mental illness on the streets.  She's extremely calm for someone with a disorder.

Even when the police came to escort her out of one of the fast food restaurants, she remained calm and unaffected.

I can only speculate on why she has a "baby."  When she interacts with the baby, there's a display of motherly love.  The feeling is so intense that it's sad and disconcerting.  Perhaps something traumatic or tragic happened in the past involving a baby.  Another reason could be that she just needs someone to love and hold for comfort.  It must be frightening to be a homeless woman on foot. Nighttime can be a terrifying time.

I did find out what was inside the blanket.  It was a popular stuffed animal.




Note: I gave a little more information than I normally do.  I felt it was necessary for the overall picture.  But please know that every effort was made to protect the identity of the homeless person above.