GUESS WHAT?

Nothing ever stays the same! As I almost desperately perused Google this morning for places  to volunteer, I had a sudden urge to call the shelter. Doug was right where I'd left him, and he said, "Come on down! You can serve lunch!"
     I was there within an hour and greeted with a big hug! Then I looked into the kitchen. Crazy was there. I lowered my voice to Doug, "Is he safe?"
     "Oh!, Doug said, "Let me introduce you to our new volunteer; he's sober now!"
     Crazy was indeed changed. We worked together for 2 hours, and I enjoyed every minute. And I gave him ample praise for his remarkable achievement. What a delightful fellow he is now.
     Many, many things have changed. Mr. A (whom I once trusted implicitly) was actually stealing things and committing other crimes. He no longer goes to the shelter.
     The old battered piano has been replaced with one that plays. Doug told me the old one was "broken," as if I never knew.
     The shelter no longer houses pre-release prisoners. According to Doug, the U.S. government decided not to "waste" money on giving prisoners a "halfway" placement. With them went a large government stipend that is sorely missed. Today there are about 37 homeless staying at the shelter, mostly women. We have a little girl, 9, and a little boy 17 (mentally 5)—so those were the only children. The girl wanted a can of red Play Doh, and the boy wanted a box of crayons.
     For lunch, Doug had made a huge pot of rich, creamy potato soup, filled with diced potatoes, butter and a touch of black pepper. It was delicious. On the side, we served chicken nuggets. There were no vegetables, no fruit, no candy.
     Among the many changes, is a new PR person who is never seen. No one is sure how much she actually works, but no articles have been submitted to our local paper (and people need to know that the institution needs funds for the holidays). As for the fruit issue, that too would need to be addressed by the PR person. I would happily visit sundry outlets for fruit donations, but I don't have the credentials. I need to approach Lieutenant God (who is also new there) to see if he can give me permission to proceed. If they need a new PR person, yours truly needs the work!
     There is a new face in the kitchen, a fellow who actually has a real job but just comes there to help; we'll call him Rick. Of course the gatekeeper has changed (another hottie), en plus, there is now a security guard (also gorgeous)! (I'm just looking!!!)
     I do miss those prisoners and their interesting personalities. Most of today's population is quietly poor and missing the basic elements of joie de vivre. We'll have to work on that. 
    Anyway—WELCOME BACK—we've missed us!