Odds, Ends and Jesus

Hola :)  Hope this posty finds you well and buoyant.  I've been a busy bee.  Life has been sweeping me away in it's current, the current being my boyfriend and various other wonders, sundries, and matters...  This road called life is going really well and there's even marriage talk (BIG SMILE).  I've also had occasion to fulfill some of my volunteering fantasies (or at least start them) and I have a bit to report...



First off, I am now subscribing to the "Street Sheet" I mentioned in my previous post.  I like it because I feel it is a sincere effort to present the pains, sorrows, and triumphs of homeless living, or better, of overcoming the odds.  The newspaper does its best to stay positive while presenting really depressing statistics and facts.  Also, it manages to preserve the dignity of the afflicted, of those struggling to keep their heads above water.  Big props.  One can really learn a lot from this humble publication.  For example, did you know that half of homeless folk are disabled?  What a tremendous strain it must be to try to garner a bed standing in the endless lines for shelter and food each day...  No wonder so many people give up. 


But thank God, Jesus understands!  I think of His welcoming image painted onto the ceiling at St. Boniface, the church in the Tenderloin, San Francisco's desperately poor and crime infested 'hood.  He is painted onto the cupola in a glorious all-encompassing mural that overlooks the church and the pews.  This is the home of the "Gubbio Project" http://thegubbioproject.org/index.html where the marginalized, the sick, the needy can come and rest, sleep, pray, and receive various services from the clergy and laypeople.  I have been there and I can say that I have felt overwhelming love when I looked upward and saw the image of the One who gets it, of the good shepherd.  Sappy?  Perhaps, unless you're the one in need.  But I digress...        

One more thing:  I went to pass out food at the church I was telling y'all about, and I LOVED IT.  I was up with the chickens at 7:45 ready to prepare the food for distribution.  I was put in charge of the cakes along with "Pat" a senior citizen with chutzpa and slight dementia and I had a great time!  The whole operation, especially the clients, touched my heart.  Most folks were quiet, humble, and  hushed -- barely looking at me in the eye as they passed through.  Several did not look homeless at all.  Which debunked my theory that the needy seem it.  Many don't.  So BE UNNECESSARILY KIND, people!!  


I've only gone once, but I look forward to going more.  I haven't yet figured how to angle in cartoons, but fret not -- I scheme and dream as we speak!!


Thanks for reading, I know this one was looooong!  Have a good week!