last night our teens did a Christmas party for the Red Shield Lodge on Luckie Street (i.e. the homeless shelter). Although planning anything performance-related with teens can be a bit stressful, they did a wonderful job, and had everyone laughing.

i was so surprised to see so many children at the shelter. they asked all the children to come sit on the floor in front so that there would more chairs for the adults, and there had to be somewhere between 30 and 40 kids. it breaks your heart.

the faces of the people there looked so worn, so tired. we all sang some carols before Santa came with elves (i thought that was a nice touch).

it was so cold last night, there was an ice storm. i woke this morning to a loud crash, one of the branches on our pecan tree out front had landed on the abandoned house next door. our house was okay, fortunately, but jason may add a chainsaw to his christmas list.

i couldn't help but think of the people at the shelter last night, with the rain and sleet and ice. were they able to stay the night, were they only guaranteed a meal before the doors were shut? i hugged one man who thanked us as we were leaving, is that the only hug he'll received this christmas season? there was something in his eyes that i couldn't quite place.

as i cautiously drove to work this morning, i looked at all the trees coated in ice, with a thousand thoughts swirling around in my head...

And how can I stand here with you, and not be moved by you? Cause you're all I want, you're all I need, you're everything, everything...

posted by Kelly @ 9:27:00 AM