M and M are back. It was a relief to see them walk in this week. They'd been "on vacation" for several weeks now. Which meant that had to put all of their worldly treasure in storage. (Their intangible ones - each other, optimism, gratitude - they took along when they went.) This costs about $150 a month. Which is probably 10% of their income. It's been a cold August, raining almost everyday and most of that electrical storms. I can't imagine sleeping in a tent on the beach for a month.
M, sporting a natty new haircut (no more ponytail), said of the Motel, "It's hard to get out of here once you're in. And it's hard to get in here once you're out." I still can't quite wrap my mind around the idea of being grateful to be living at the Motel. But they are.
K. came back from camp last week saying it was "great". Helping sponsor her was one of our great successes this year. I'm glad it worked out. It's the most organized thing we've ever done. I suppose next thing ya know, we'll have a "Sending Kids to Camp" committee. Nah. T.B. would kill me. No committees. Nothing corporate.
So this week at Dinner, K. handed me an envelope. At this camp, the kids have "tuck accounts", set up at the beginning of the week. Then each day they can order a maximum amount of candy from the tuck shop. We'd set up an account for K. She hadn't spent all of her credit and handed me back $4.53. I told her thanks, and we'd put it toward Dinner next week. I was struck by how cool it was that she had the chance to give me something. Even if it left us "sixpence none the richer". It's the whole giving and receiving thing.
We're really aware of the need for it to be a two way street, for each of us individually and, out of that, for us as a group.
r
M, sporting a natty new haircut (no more ponytail), said of the Motel, "It's hard to get out of here once you're in. And it's hard to get in here once you're out." I still can't quite wrap my mind around the idea of being grateful to be living at the Motel. But they are.
K. came back from camp last week saying it was "great". Helping sponsor her was one of our great successes this year. I'm glad it worked out. It's the most organized thing we've ever done. I suppose next thing ya know, we'll have a "Sending Kids to Camp" committee. Nah. T.B. would kill me. No committees. Nothing corporate.
So this week at Dinner, K. handed me an envelope. At this camp, the kids have "tuck accounts", set up at the beginning of the week. Then each day they can order a maximum amount of candy from the tuck shop. We'd set up an account for K. She hadn't spent all of her credit and handed me back $4.53. I told her thanks, and we'd put it toward Dinner next week. I was struck by how cool it was that she had the chance to give me something. Even if it left us "sixpence none the richer". It's the whole giving and receiving thing.
We're really aware of the need for it to be a two way street, for each of us individually and, out of that, for us as a group.
r
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