I was pulling out of the parking lot tonight and saw this.
It's a vacuum cleaner. Last time I noticed this tree, there was a cat in it, being 'rescued' by its owner. Can't see that happening in this case.
Tonight at Dinner, we had a meal provided by our new friends at St. Thingy's. They brought a great feast, with chicken and lasagna, salads, homemade biscuits and bread, Jell-o with fruit, homebaked cookies (perfectly nut-free), whipped cream. A beautiful spread. There was just barely enough for everyone. They settled right in, and ate and chatted with the regulars like they'd been there forever. I saw young O., surrounded by gracious grey heads, telling a story, his arm stretched out over the table for emphasis, smiling. Rather amazing, considering his social phobia and his need for personal space. Just last week he'd expressed his concern to a regular team member that he'd just got used to us, and now there were all these new people coming.
The room was fuller than I've ever seen it. I counted over 50 people. The number has been going up and up. We had to take the table that we've been using for coffee fixin's and put it to use for a family who needed a place to sit. C.L. is going to see if she can wrangle a couple more tables.
One of the newcomers asked a regular if this was a typical turnout, and she looked around. She said the number was a bit higher, but looking around she realized that there were some faces missing.
Some of the absent:
M&M. They've been evicted from the room they waited for for so long. Partly their own fault, partly not. H. thinks they're living on the beach, but he's not sure where.
L. She's been away for a couple of weeks visiting her mother in a city a couple of hours away. We're hoping that she might have had a chance to see one of her kids. She has 3 children. One is in the custody of her sister, one in the care of L.'s ex's ex, and the other is we don't know where. She's been out of touch with us for a while.
A. A young woman who comes every week. Her man works as a chicken catcher and she puts together a meal for two and takes it back to their room so they can eat together before he goes to work. She was missing tonight because she just found out that her mother has passed away. Her mom lives in a city several hours' plane ride away and A. just can't put together the money to get there for the funeral.
N.'s kids. They've been living with family an hour's drive from here which makes it hard for N. to visit them. She said tonight that she's moving to a town closer to where they live so she can be involved in their lives "every day." The apartment is affordable and she's got help moving. Wonderful.
Too many peoples' lives are shaped by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or where they're not welcome. Or just alone.
Part of what we've built into Dinner is that it's a safe place and everyone is welcome. We've had to put up with some wackiness and some misbehaviour, and we've had to threaten one person with suspension if he did that again, but we've never had to turn anyone away.
God willing, we never will.
r
It's a vacuum cleaner. Last time I noticed this tree, there was a cat in it, being 'rescued' by its owner. Can't see that happening in this case.
Tonight at Dinner, we had a meal provided by our new friends at St. Thingy's. They brought a great feast, with chicken and lasagna, salads, homemade biscuits and bread, Jell-o with fruit, homebaked cookies (perfectly nut-free), whipped cream. A beautiful spread. There was just barely enough for everyone. They settled right in, and ate and chatted with the regulars like they'd been there forever. I saw young O., surrounded by gracious grey heads, telling a story, his arm stretched out over the table for emphasis, smiling. Rather amazing, considering his social phobia and his need for personal space. Just last week he'd expressed his concern to a regular team member that he'd just got used to us, and now there were all these new people coming.
The room was fuller than I've ever seen it. I counted over 50 people. The number has been going up and up. We had to take the table that we've been using for coffee fixin's and put it to use for a family who needed a place to sit. C.L. is going to see if she can wrangle a couple more tables.
One of the newcomers asked a regular if this was a typical turnout, and she looked around. She said the number was a bit higher, but looking around she realized that there were some faces missing.
Some of the absent:
M&M. They've been evicted from the room they waited for for so long. Partly their own fault, partly not. H. thinks they're living on the beach, but he's not sure where.
L. She's been away for a couple of weeks visiting her mother in a city a couple of hours away. We're hoping that she might have had a chance to see one of her kids. She has 3 children. One is in the custody of her sister, one in the care of L.'s ex's ex, and the other is we don't know where. She's been out of touch with us for a while.
A. A young woman who comes every week. Her man works as a chicken catcher and she puts together a meal for two and takes it back to their room so they can eat together before he goes to work. She was missing tonight because she just found out that her mother has passed away. Her mom lives in a city several hours' plane ride away and A. just can't put together the money to get there for the funeral.
N.'s kids. They've been living with family an hour's drive from here which makes it hard for N. to visit them. She said tonight that she's moving to a town closer to where they live so she can be involved in their lives "every day." The apartment is affordable and she's got help moving. Wonderful.
Too many peoples' lives are shaped by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or where they're not welcome. Or just alone.
Part of what we've built into Dinner is that it's a safe place and everyone is welcome. We've had to put up with some wackiness and some misbehaviour, and we've had to threaten one person with suspension if he did that again, but we've never had to turn anyone away.
God willing, we never will.
r
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