Serving dinner
Activites with the children
Staff meeting
And so ends Hour 59 of the Red Cross Shelter #9.
We've had a busy day: Scheduled volunteers, shifted calendars, organized kids activities, cleaned up throw-up (twice) bandaged wounds, transported someone for dialysis, laundered towels, organized food, served meals, scheduled a surgical procedure, housed two parakeets, cleaned bathrooms, planned a worship service, hugged each other, printed maps, and prayed.
And you know what? I am so energized. I've had a permanent rush, and I don't really want to go home. Most of my time has been spent with administrative tasks - but the times that I take a break and sit to visit with our guests is the most treasured of my time. You see, it's easy for me to put up a protective wall - to safely protect myself from having to deal with any emotion. And there's LOTS of emotion here. But when I let my guard down and truly connect with these new friends, I find a little bit of solace.
Think about this -
In one corner: Chaotic stress of organizing and running a Shelter - it keeps me stuck in the rut of an endless list of tasks. Productive, but tiring.
In the other corner: The smiles and hope and peace and love offered by our guests...I visit with them and breath life. The good and the bad things about life. All of it. They are in an impossible situation, and they meet it with resolve and hope.
Sure, I had my difficulties today. Challenges. Tough decisions. It has NOT been a cake walk of little debbies and warm fuzzies.
But at the end of the day, I can't think of another place I'd rather be. It's about serving others, learning to listen more than to talk, meeting each challenge with new resolve, and standing with our new friends through their darkest days.
May God bless and protect them.
Activites with the children
Staff meeting
And so ends Hour 59 of the Red Cross Shelter #9.
We've had a busy day: Scheduled volunteers, shifted calendars, organized kids activities, cleaned up throw-up (twice) bandaged wounds, transported someone for dialysis, laundered towels, organized food, served meals, scheduled a surgical procedure, housed two parakeets, cleaned bathrooms, planned a worship service, hugged each other, printed maps, and prayed.
And you know what? I am so energized. I've had a permanent rush, and I don't really want to go home. Most of my time has been spent with administrative tasks - but the times that I take a break and sit to visit with our guests is the most treasured of my time. You see, it's easy for me to put up a protective wall - to safely protect myself from having to deal with any emotion. And there's LOTS of emotion here. But when I let my guard down and truly connect with these new friends, I find a little bit of solace.
Think about this -
In one corner: Chaotic stress of organizing and running a Shelter - it keeps me stuck in the rut of an endless list of tasks. Productive, but tiring.
In the other corner: The smiles and hope and peace and love offered by our guests...I visit with them and breath life. The good and the bad things about life. All of it. They are in an impossible situation, and they meet it with resolve and hope.
Sure, I had my difficulties today. Challenges. Tough decisions. It has NOT been a cake walk of little debbies and warm fuzzies.
But at the end of the day, I can't think of another place I'd rather be. It's about serving others, learning to listen more than to talk, meeting each challenge with new resolve, and standing with our new friends through their darkest days.
May God bless and protect them.
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