HO HO ...OHHhhhh

       Child, my back and legs are SO tired and achy, but higher up, there's a big smile on my face! Yes, it's awfully sad how the cold weather brings in so many folks who have no place to stay… and I do wonder where they stay in warmer weather, because they don't look like they'd sleep under a bridge, given better weather… So I wonder a lot. And while I see how sad it all is, I really enjoy being there to feed them and brighten their day—and I'm selfish enough to derive greater pleasure from greater numbers of them… sorry.
       We had three adorable children today. It was so much fun giving them cheese sticks and bubble gum—and Joey showed me a big box of gum and candies to dig through, so the kids got a little extra too. Just precious little things, and with two parents. They could be the "Father Knows Best" family, were it not for hard times.
       Two young women I'd not seen before came to lunch. One has a BIG toothless smile, just bubbling over with happiness; the other looks beaten up and sleep deprived. I didn't see our Angel, but he certainly could have been there—the place was packed! I worked 2-1/2 hours, nonstop, making and serving lunch, and didn't have time to make a single sack lunch (not complaining). Joey said he'd make some up this afternoon, and he does have dinner in the oven and on the stove, so he'll have time for sack lunches.
       For lunch (and I don't care if you are sick of this menu), I made the biggest-ever pot of soup (meatless). This one had tomatoes, fresh potatoes, corn, green beans, cans of veggies and veggie soup, pasta sauce, refried beans, pintos, water, and lots of lovin'. We dipped it with the new red ladle in honor of the season.
     We deep fried battered chicken breasts and served them on hotdog buns. We served a side of mixed fruit—another multiple can-opening endeavor. Happily, Joey had a pot of his own "soup" in the fridge, made with pepper steak and stronger tastes, so that was a wonderful back-up. We fed a crowd today!
       I don't think Black Jack is there now. Joey and I spoke briefly about how Miss Lillian's motherly love had burst forth last week in Jack's defense, but our conversation was interrupted and we didn't get to Jack's whereabouts. We did have time for a couple of short info-mercials :) Joey is so fun.
       JOEY has finished exams for another quarter of GED school!
       The upside of serving so many people is that we can, and that it feels so satisfying to put one's efforts into such an endeavor. The downside is that there isn't time to interact with "my people." And I miss that.
       Our gatekeeper is well. Mr. Huggy is well (but complaining bitterly of being overly tired). Maybe that goes with the territory at Christmastime, where shelters are involved.
       My heart will be there next Sunday, but the rest of me will be with my family… God willing.
       Have a wonderful Christmastime; put ribbons on the roof over your head, put a gift tag on your dinner plate; and hold your loved ones in the shelter of your heart.

WORKING FOR THE MAN

      Joey was not there today. He told me last week that he wouldn't be there today. I grimaced and asked him what should I do… and he said I could just come on in and help Miss Lillian… and I couldn't think of a reason in this world to not do that.

       Backing up a piece, I gave the kitchen my prize stainless-steel ladle a long time ago. It's so big, it doesn't fall down in the soup pot, and it holds exactly a bowlful of soup. When it disappeared a few weeks ago (Joey said "So-and-so" took it to a luncheon…), I was not happy, and I have pestered So-and-so for weeks about it! Joey and the gatekeeper assured me the ladle had fallen into a black hole.

       So today I stopped at TJ Maxx on my way to the shelter and bought another enormous ladle. It's very pretty and it's durable, but it's not stainless steel… Anyway, when I got there around 10:30 (much later than usual), I approached Miss Lillian with, "Sorry I'm late; I stopped to get a new ladle."

       Boy was she surprised to see me! "I wasn't expecting you," she said. "Nobody told me you were coming." Then she gave me a quick review of what we were serving for lunch, instructions to give a second hotdog only if they asked for it, and a short diatribe about those stupid, picky, choosy people.

       Several times, she remarked at how happy she was to have me there, and that she didn't know how she was going to get all the work done by herself. I complimented her hair and set about making sack lunches. When it was time for the pre-release to come in, Lillian had prepared for me a buffet-style setup at the serving counter. I could serve, she said, because she knows I do that and she doesn't care for it. She had it all arranged: plate, beans, hotdog, salad. It went well, but there were only 10 or so folks in that group.

       When the next group came in, it was obvious that winter is here in earnest—our dining room was full. Lillian had to help me serve the plates; even she was surprised at the size of the group. One man said he didn't want a hotdog, just beans and salad, so I asked him if he'd like some tuna (I'd already put some on another fellow's plate earlier—with permission), and the man said he would. So I left the serving line, opened a little can and put the tuna on the man's plate. Miss Lillian was not happy about that, "Don't offer them other things; it slows down the line."

       You need to understand, the line is only 35 or 40 people long, we are not open to the public or expecting surprise guests, so slowing down the line by 30 seconds for someone who's hungry seems reasonable to me. THEN (bless my heart), a lady came to the counter and asked for a second hotdog. I gave it to her. That was wrong. Giving seconds was the rule for the pre-release—not for the homeless.

       Well… all's well that ends well. Even Mr. Huggy, Miss Lillian and I got to have hotdogs when the rush was over.

       I made more sack lunches, to Lillian's specifications, and then sacked some PBJs for our street folks. When Lillian wasn't looking, I gave them 2 Slim Jims apiece.

       The gospel hour was going strong all morning, but not so loud today, and I did enjoy most of the music. They're doing Christmas carols now, and it's hard to mess those up.

       Black Jack is all better today. He didn't even seem to remember how down and out he was last Sunday, so I didn't remind him. He did tell Lillian that he was leaving tonight (some higher-up told him his time was up), but Lillian would have none of that! She began to name names of people for the child to speak to about staying, and she finally flat-out told him to stay tonight because there was "no sense" in his being out there in the cold! Lillian most certainly can be a picky, choosy person when she wants to, and today she chose Jack.

       Our Angel came to lunch with a big smile and a hello. "I missed you last week," I told him. And the two little young 'uns were there, squealing with delight over the cheese sticks I gave them. They have the hollow-eye look that tells me they're not getting enough sleep.

       As I was finishing up, Mr. Huggy came in, and I wanted to show him our new ladle. I'd seen Lillian wash it, but I couldn't find it. Then I looked in the drawer where we'd kept the other one, and what do you think? The stainless-steel ladle was in there! It has come home, and I'm taking credit for bitching about its absence. Now we have two very fine ladles.

       If Joey were not there (now that I know my way around), I think I'd stay. Working for the man isn't as bad as previously conceived.

SOMETHING FROM NOTHING

       "Miss Joy, I got nothing for lunch," Joey announced when I arrived. "I been real busy making dinner."

       Right… a pot of green beans didn't look like "real busy" to me; that child was counting on the Sunday Lady to make lunch—and you know I love it when he does that.

       The mystery box coughed up just gobs of fun cans, Joey offered some vegetables from the cooler, and I cooked a pot of macaroni to top it off. That was probably the biggest pot of soup yet—and it was nearly gone when lunch was over. Joey deep fried some chicken patties which we served on buns, and he had 3 large pans of Caesar salad. Our folks had a really fine lunch today—I ate some of it myself!

       We served about a dozen pre-release folks, and about 30 residents. I did scan the crowd for familiar faces, and found few. There are four children there now, but none of them was at lunch. Bitty Baby and his parents have moved on. I didn't see our Angel either, and our deaf fellow lost his place there…

        A new guy hung around chewing the fat with Joey and me, long after his meal—wanted us to know that of all the shelters he's stayed in, ours is the best—the very best. And he's stayed in shelters in FORTY-FOUR states! He gave us reports on the Grand Canyon, Wyoming, Texas—places I will never see. I guess travel isn't as expensive as I was thinking.

     Pretty Woman was the story of the day. As I said last week, she was nursing a brand new dilemma, and it was just a tad too sad and desperate, in my opinion. Mr. Huggy was still trying to lift her spirits, and apparently he succeeded to the point that she accepted his money and left the place. According to Joey, it was a substantial amount. Providence certainly does have a sense of humor.

       So this absolutely gorgeous young fellow came to the counter today, but he wouldn't take any food. Joey encouraged him to "eat something," but the boy said he was too down and out to eat. I tried to interest him in soup, without luck. When everyone had left the lunchroom, that child was still sitting at a table, picking at his cell phone, trying to patch up a disagreement between himself and his long-time friend. He was lower 'n a snake's belly.

       I went out and sat down by him. "Do you know the show 'Will and Grace?' You look so much like Jack—only a black Jack, and he's so gorgeous!"

       He does. He looks like movie-star material. The whites of his eyes are white (not yellow or red); his smile is perfect; and his hair is cut precisely and just pitch black. His skin is a rich, warm brown. All in all, this kid is some kind of cute. And you know, we spend a lot of time wondering what we might do with our lives if we just had that perfect Hollywood face… and we don't realize that the face sometimes comes with large learning disabilities. "Jack" didn't make it past 5th grade because he "can't learn." The only job he's ever been able to keep was frying chicken at a fast-food place. In every other position, he forgets what to do, and they fire him.

       We talked a long time. I don't see great hope for a future for this child. I want to give him hope, but I'm grasping at straws, at the very best. And there he sat, thinking his biggest problem in the whole world was a disagreement between himself and a friend. Maybe it is.

       I tossed a pack of bubble gum at him on my way out. He loves my name, and he thinks I'm pretty :)