IT's a SOUP Kitchen…

       Please… no groaning about the menu. I'm sick today! I've had a cold since Wednesday, the sore throat is gone, but the hang-dog is hanging on. Still, I sucked it up and went in.
       Joey had self started—he didn't even have to mop the dining room! He had put on a pot of soup, and he was making about 50 sandwiches to broil—grilled ham 'n cheese & grilled turkey 'n cheese.
       I poked at the soup and allowed as how its tomato-ness was VERY strong. I asked him what had he put in it, and he said "Just some cans of stuff, like we always do." I wasn't buying it exactly like he was telling it. With his permission I added a can of refried beans and a bit of water, but after an hour, "tomato" still ruled the pot. So I got a little spoon and gave Joey a sample.
       "What do you think?"
       His lips puckered up, his eyebrows came down, and he said, "Oooh! That's too much tomato!"
       When I asked him, he admitted that he'd used some tomato paste…
       So I took about 3 quarts of the soup out of the pot and strained it under running water. After putting the vegetables back in the pot, I added water, a few cans of harmless vegetables, and a box of broth. THEN we had soup.
       Meanwhile, Joey's sandwiches finished in the oven, and I put together some fresh fruit. There was cut-up cantaloupe in the big fridge; there were fresh grapes; we had some strawberries, and a few bananas! On top of that, we had whipped topping! It was dated August of 2010, but it looked good and it smelled good, so we declared the date to be a typo.
       ONE is minding the door today. Brenda (remember Brenda?) is working the door full-time now on the night shift. That's why I haven't seen her. She's also still volunteering in the kitchen. Mr. Huggy is filling his Sunday duties with driving folks to church again, and he's looking well. I begged off on the hug because of my cold…
      The pre-release group was small, as usual. I recall a time when that group was large, but perhaps that was in winter…
       We had about 25 in our homeless group. My 6-year-old and her parents have gone to live in a home of their own! I missed her, but it was a good miss. The 2-year-old still has no smile, but she eats well, and she said thank-you, as instructed, when I gave her a pink bear, some crayons, and a pack of gummies. Then I crossed the room where our mother of 4 sat with only 2 of her boys. The infant was in his high chair. I gave the 3-year-old a gorilla, a box of crayons, and a pack of gummies. As I crossed back toward the kitchen, a little voice called out, "I'd like some goodies, too, please."
       I looked down to see this cherubic 4-year-old staring up at me, earnestly seeking to be a part of the goodies program… "Oh! I didn't see you! Of course you can have goodies!" He was pleased with a puppy, a pack of gum, and some crayons. Need more crayons.
       We served a lot of seconds and thirds (and fourths) today! It was good to see them eat. And they were happy. It's been a long time since I thought of the group as "happy." Also, Joey discovered a member of our homeless who loves the stage as much as he does and has taken classes. He sees her as the perfect opportunity to learn more about those things. Everybody's happy.
       GED school is still on Joey's plate, and he has no intention of quitting, though he sheepishly admitted recently that he had almost fallen by the wayside. His teacher—that angelic woman who has led Joey and 5 others through the maze of "Challenged GED School"—is moving away. We can only hope that her replacement is good enough to get Joey to the finish line.
       After 2-1/2 hours, I begged off and headed for the car. A man I'd seen at lunch was in the hall. "Thanks for lunch. It was good!" he said.
       Outside, a lone pre-release woman smoked a cigarette on a bench in the shade. "Thanks for making lunch, Sweetheart. It was good!"
       So you see… it's just soup… but it's magic soup. Want some?