LOVE, SUPPORT AT HOME HELP LATER IN LIFE

The issue: Society's ills.

We suggest: Death draws a vivid picture.

The story started with what may be a regular occurrence in northern cities
- - a homeless person succumbing to frigid temperatures under a bridge one night.

In Houma, the story of Olivia Roberts has grown to illustrate a problem
that many have found easy to ignore.

People in the mainstream often wonder how people end up in a situation like
the one in which Olivia found herself. Young people cannot fathom how
taking one hit of marijuana or taking a few pills occasionally when
socializing with friends could lead to a downward spiral, possibly ending
one cold night under a bridge.

Olivia had a difficult life. The product of a broken home, she lived in a
household with a stepfather who reportedly abused her mother, then in a
foster home which separated Olivia and her two siblings from each other.

And although she sought love and acceptance, her life was punctuated by an
unplanned pregnancy, drug use and prostitution. While she hoped for a
better life and wanted help to break out of the chains that bound her to a
miserable life and to "be somebody," she never managed to do it. Did she
lack the fortitude to follow through? Did the system fail her? Should
society be expected to pull people in these situations out of them?

The truth is that people who make bad decisions - for whatever reason -
cannot be absolved of their responsibility. Yes, society can - and does -
offer help, but neither the criminal justice system nor social service
agencies can produce long-term results without the individual making the
effort needed for success.

But what we can do as a society, as parents and family members, is provide
the love and support that everyone needs to foster a positive sense of
self. We bring children into this world. They seek love and acceptance. It
is our responsibility to love and care for them, provide safe homes for
them and encourage them to excel in their lives.

Olivia recognized this - and put her infant son up for adoption, hoping he
could have a better life than she could have ever provided. For all of the
bad decisions she made in her life, Olivia made at least one right one -
and another human being is bound to be better off for it.

Yes, Houma has an element of society with which most people do not come in
contact on a regular basis. It's easy to forget that the "night zombies,"
as one of Olivia's peers termed them, and other homeless people populate
our community.

But that doesn't excuse us from learning a lesson from this sector of
society. It's not a lesson taught in schoolbooks, but it's one we must take
to heart to protect our children and loved ones from a similar fate.