humbled

[KarenSews2]

For the first time ever, I worked in a soup kitchen today. Ned had been there a couple of times, and our daughter, Bailey, had helped. This little store-front place is just a block from where Bailey lives, and a few blocks from where I grew up.

Most of what is served is leftover food that is "freshened." The choices of beverages are coffee, water or "red," a kool-aid/punch-type drink.

It was very cold outside, so we opened the doors early to a man waiting outside. He was given a cup of coffee and a couple of donuts. Missing many teeth, and desperately needing a shower, he sat quietly in front of the serving line. He sat there nearly the entire 3 hours we were open as a parade of people came and went.

Besides the donuts, today's menu was macaroni and cheese "freshened" with some milk, beef and noodles "freshened" with more beef and gravy, chili that Ned doctored with some extra ingredients and cheese, and pizza. Lots of pizza that came from Pizza Hut. The slices of pizza were spritzed with water before being warmed in the oven.

And the people came. Some shyly, some with a sense of fun; all with a profound gratitude and offerings of blessings. It was obvious that there was much mental illness, substance abuse and lack of physical and dental hygiene. One man showed signs of being in a fight that probably took place in the previous few hours.

There were mostly men, some women, and 3 children. One woman with a sunny dispostion and a little boy came in from the cold. The little boy had a coat, hat and gloves, but the mom had just a heavy shirt over some layers of sweatshirts. I wondered how it would feel if that's how I had to feed my child. Bailey had brought me one of her old coats for me to donate to my friend's school where some children come with no coat. I offered it to the woman after she said she needed one when discussions went to where people could get coats. It was too small. I was going to get a pair of gloves out of my car for her, but someone gave her a better pair than ones I could have given her.

A pair of women came in with a little girl. The women wore a lot of bright make-up, and I saw the older woman empty a baggie of change into the broken cat cookie jar where those partaking can put a donation if they are able. After we had closed, one of the duties was to count the money in the "kitty." All that was in there were 25 dirty pennies. They had obviously been picked up from the ground and saved so that she could donate them. It made me want to cry. I emptied my pockets and added to the amount.

One older black man began teasing Bailey, saying that she was "trouble." He said he could "see it in her eyes." Bailey played along. When he said that her hat was a sure sign that she was up to no good because she wore it cocked to one side, she straightened it and said, "Now, I'm good." She put it back and said, "evil." He laughed.

As a new group came in, I said that we had "all kinds of donuts." The guy who kind of lives at the kitchen and oversees it, piped up, joking, "You got a JELLY donut?" He knew we didn't. Bailey promptly pointed out, "THERE's the donut. THERE's the jelly." They all laughed.

As I wiped tables, I passed the quiet man who had come in early. I patted him on the shoulder and said, "You doin' all right?" He smiled, put his arm on my shoulders and said, "Yeah. YOU all right?" I smiled and nodded.

Much of the talk today was about where they would get a Thanksgiving dinner. Although the soup kitchen will be closed, churches in the area will have meals.

As I get ready to go to my nice warm bed, I wonder about those I served today. I hope they are warm. Offering them a warm meal seems like such a simple thing, and most of us take for granted the ablilty to eat whatever we want, whenever we want.

I will go back, but it would be nice if it were not necessary.

I know this is long, but I wanted to share.

Goodnight.
Karen

[Elliott]

You are such a kind and caring person.... and you make me want to be a better person just by knowing you. However, I don't think this is any reason to slow down snickerdoodle production. :o

[Oak Kitten]

Karen,

That was a very moving post. Unfortunately in our society those who are mentally ill and do not have the support of their families end up on the street or in the prison system, which only exacerbates their plight. It is a disgrace.
Kudos to you for sharing your time and generosity with those who are less fortunate.

Oak

[coffeegyrl]

Thanks for sharing this everyone. It reminds me to be grateful. I am still working toward "wanting what I have rather than having what I want."

[david uk]

that was a very moving post Karen.

bless you :)

[Dee]

Karen,

I can tell you first hand that what you and yours did was certainly appreciated. People who are down on their luck are too often overlooked or worse, looked down upon.

In 2003 I also had the pleasure of becoming homeless, reduced to living in a homeless shelter for six months. It was during one of my sick times and through a series of poor choices and wrong advice my income was reduced to the point that I could no longer afford adequate housing.

During my time living (more like surviving) in the shelter and the mental fog of those days, I learned a good deal about my self and more importantly about others in the same situation. I’m a bit ashamed that prior to living in the shelter I often thought of "those people" who did as all being drug-addicted, winos, or dead heads. Yes, there were a few of those in there too, but a lot of people there were simply dealing with unexpected life situations and trying to climb out.

I hope I won’t ever end up back in that sort of situation but as many people know we’re all only one pay check away from the possibility. And with the way the economy is going, I suppose that’s another whisper of fear that haunts me on some level.

[hoops]

Karen
thank you for sharing... in so many ways.
Dee, thank you for your compassion.
a blessed Thanksgiving to all, may you have all you need.
peace
hoops

[paularoid]

Been there. Done that. Been done -by- that. Not this year though due to cancer-buddy duties. In any case here's something that you -all- might wish to be aware of:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Story?id=6325558&page=1

Dying Boy Makes Final Wish to Feed Homeless
11-Year-Old Brenden Foster Leaves Legacy; Inspires Food Drives Nationwide

By NEAL KARLINSKY
Nov. 24, 2008

http://a.abcnews.com/images/WN/ht_brendan_foster_081124_mn.jpg

Just imagine what you might do if a doctor said you have only two weeks left to live.

For 11-year-old Brenden Foster of Bothell, Wash., who was given that prognosis earlier this year after learning he was suffering from leukemia last December, the answer was probably not what you'd expect.

"I was coming back from one of my clinic appointments and I saw this big thing of homeless people and then I thought I should just get them something," Foster said.

Instead of asking for an expensive toy or a fancy vacation, he decided to focus all his remaining energy on feeding the homeless.

"They're probably starving, so give them a chance," he said.

He was too weak to do it himself, but his determination caught on near his home in Seattle, where neighbors and residents launched a food drive.

"We're going to get together tonight with about 15 people and make 200 sandwiches and then bring them downtown tomorrow," said Jennifer Morrison, one of the volunteers.

It was just the beginning. His story touched people so deeply that it spread, inspiring food drives from Los Angeles to Pensacola, Fla., to a school in Ohio -- all in this past week alone.

"I've never seen the courage that this little boy just displayed," one homeless man said as he waited for a meal at the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. "I've never seen anything like it in my life. It left me speechless."

"As soon as I saw it, I'm a crybaby and I just got tears in my eyes," one woman said. "I'm trying to get my life straight and everything and that's something that's going to let me look at the better in life."

Foster, who devoted his final days to lifting others up, became bedridden; the kid who could once outrun any of his friends could no longer walk. Last week, Foster could hardly keep his eyes open, but he didn't waiver from his wish.

"'Tis the season to give," he said.

"He's always thought about the better of others, wanting to help others," said his mother, Wendy Foster. "He's never complained about having to go through this, ever."

In just two weeks, an 11-year-old boy, too sick to even work a paper route, has raised tens of thousands of dollars and brought in truckloads of donations to local food pantries.

"He's left a legacy and he's 11," his mother said. "He's done more than most people ever dream of doing just by making a wish and speaking his mind."

Foster lived long enough to see his dream come alive, before dying in his mother's arms Friday morning.

"Follow your dreams, don't let anything stop you," Foster said.

At the Union Rescue Mission, 2,500 meals have been served in Foster's honor. On the paper bags, volunteers write, "Love, Brenden" in marker to keep his legacy alive.

"When I told him he was dying, he cried," his mother recalled. "And he said, 'When I get to heaven I'm going to ask God why it had to be so soon because I had so much more I wanted to do.' Everything that he wanted to do was to help others and to benefit others."

Help Grant Brenden's Last Wish: Learn more about how to help the homeless in Brenden's honor through Food Lifeline (https://www.foodlifeline.org/index.html).

Donate Online (http://www.komonews.com/news/problemsolvers/34783174.html): Select "Brenden Foster Food Drive" from the list of charitable donations.

[Kath of the Guitar]

Karen, Thank you, if everyone did something to serve eachother this would be Heaven......It's hard to look at, and hard to do. So we just keep working and biting our bottom lip, trying not to look too long and crying inside.
But we try in our way, we try.
I just keep saying , in this Country?

[COLOR="Red"]

.....and then
the day came
when the risk
to remain tight
in a bud was
more painful
than the risk
it took to
Blossom.

Karen, thank you for just being you!
Love you! :)

[Randy & Betty in Pa]

Karen, thank you so much for sharing that...

R.

[Sara]

Thanks, Karen, for sharing. Your post reminds me that we have so much to be thankful for and it's easy, in the hustle-bustle of everyday life, to forget. We take our health for granted. (Until something goes wrong.) We take our comforts for granted. (Until we lose them.) Sometimes, we even take our loved ones for granted. Sometimes until it's too late. As the years go by, I appreciate the old adage/song "There but for fortune go you or I." (Cue Joan Baez singing this in the background.)

In 2005, there was a major fire in my house and I lost my home and all material possessions. I was lucky; I could easily have died, having taken a prescription sleeping pill the night before. (The fire was full blown before 6:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning and I was deep in sleep.) The smoke was so thick by the time I was awakened, I was choking and couldn't see to find my way out. I had to follow the sound of my friend's voice to get to safety, bumping into furniture along the way. I eventually recovered my cats. As I said, I was lucky. Had to borrow lots of money beyond what the insurance covered. Had to do battle with the insurance company along the way. But so many people have it so much worse. I was displaced. Others are completely homeless. I had no clothes beyond what was on my back and no shoes. Others have no resources to get back on their feet. I was emotionally in shock and imagined what might have been. I smelled smoke for weeks afterward where there was none. I was, however, in a position to recoup, more or less.

I say all this to remind myself of how grateful I am just to be alive - to have family and friends and a few resources. I now know, deep down inside, that our lives could turn on merely a shift in the wind. It can happen - to any of us.