Our church building is being used as a shelter this week. The county runs a program called Warm Nights during the cold months to give homeless people a warm place to sleep. Different churches house the shelter for one week each winter. It is very cold here and shelters are all full. Tonight I worked in the church kitchen helping with dinner for the people staying there. It was interesting visiting with them because they are all just like me. Most of these folks have just hit a hard place in life and are stuck with a bad situation. They were very grateful for a warm, safe place to sleep and dinner to fill their bellies. We talked together about families, schools and football. It was easy to visit and laugh with the people staying there.
I came home to my warm, safe and quiet house more grateful than usual for my many blessings.
Have any of you ever spent time in a shelter? What was your experience there like?
5 comments:
I've never been to, or worked in, a shelter but what does scare me is how easy it is to end up in that situation. It doesn't take much in a persons life to change, and they could be homeless. Lost your job, break from your family, lose your home and not have any money to rent a new apartment... and you're there. Blessings is the right word, we ARE lucky all of us that have good homes, families and jobs, especially knowing how fragile it all is.
No shelter experiences for me....you are a saint.
I was homeless for 4 months.The couple I was renting a room from got into a huge argument,and the husband stabbed his wife,and we all got thrown out.I finally moved into a very nice shelter until I was able to move into a new place.
I had my own room,bathroom,and cable TV.
They charged me $30.00 a month...True story.
During my marital separation I guess I was homeless but I lived at work. Literally. Was driving tour buses and just kept working so they kept me in hotels. Slept at the shop between runs. Kept my clothes under the bus. 3 or 4 months of that was enough.
No shelter time for me either.
Sling, your life is quite interesting, if you don't mind me saying so.
OMG, John, that's amazing too. You guys have had some hard times....
Way to go, Mom, for offering your human compassion to others. I know it is good for one's soul to give that way.
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