FOUR DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

      Doug is back on the job, and except for a nagging cough, he's feeling well enough to do his job and even kid around. He gave me the key to the pantry, and I made a large pot of soup. We had a good supply of chicken salad and plenty of canned fruit. Surprisingly, this was the first time I can remember that we did not use two whole containers of chicken salad.

       The pre-release group was in good spirits, but the homeless were a motley bunch, and only two children came in—the little boy and girl who've always been so cheerful and brightly thankful. Today, they stepped inside the dining room with their grandmother, but stayed by the door. The grandmother went back out. I asked the children if they wanted lunch, but they wouldn't speak to me. The boy made some silly arm gestures indicating that he was not willing to communicate normally. Finally, Grandma returned, but the children were sent to sit at a table while Grandma got coffee. Then she asked me for two bowls of fruit for the kids, but after 5 minutes, no one had come for the fruit. Finally, the whole group came to the counter. The little boy was rude, and I told him I was disappointed to see that his wonderful manners were missing. He continued to act silly. By the time he finally said "thank you," instead of grabbing for a pack of gum, his grandmother's parenting kicked in, and she told him, "No gum for you today!"

       When that group had left the counter, a homeless woman asked if she could have the gum. She has odd marks or scars all over her neck and a big pink lump on her cheek. She took a plate and sat down. Then she put her forehead in her hands and closed her eyes. She had a splitting sinus headache. I gave her some  pseudoephedrine.

       Then I caught Doug putting plastic wrap over a plate. "I can't believe I'm doing this!" he grumped. Doug likes to think of himself as Scrooge. But there he was, taking a plate to a man who was staying warm in the foyer. We knew we liked Doug…

       BOB came in today. He helped when it was needed, but mostly he just stood around and visited. I'm sure he's giving Doug a lot of help this afternoon with dinner prep.

       So the shelter was quiet today—boring, even. A lot of our folks found someplace else to be, and that's nice. God willing, see you in 2 weeks. Have a good holiday.