Not Dead but Feeling a Little Toxic

I’ve learned something valuable over the past week.  Being on the road working away from the normal routine presents a very big challenge to maintaining a blog.  Throw in a virus that makes you feel like you’ve been hit by a mac truck and the challenge is magnified enormously.

So, I do apologize to my four or five faithful fans out there (just kidding) I know I’ve got a few more fans then that, but hey as long as you all stay anonymous and refrain from posting comments, I’ll keep throwing those kind of jabs! 🙂

Since I’ve not post for several days and I just now feel like doing something other than sleeping, I thought I’d dig deep into the grab bag for my first post after the toxicity has left the body.

1. Congratulations to our good friendswho had their sweet baby girl today.  Welcome to the world AJS, I can’t wait to meet you!
2. RETREAD UPDATE:  We got the 2008-2009 school year kicked off with 36 pair of new shoes delivered on Sunday to some deserving homeless children living at the Samaritan Inn.  We are so excited they get to start the school year off with some new kicks and we can’t wait to put shoes on more children’s feet over the next few weeks.  Thanks so much to all my helpers for taking care of this little project and the Jubilee Kids Club while I’m away.
3. Why is it so Freakin’ hot in Louisiana?  I know, it’s because of all the moisture from surrounding rivers, lakes, swamps, the gulf, and the heating of the day, but dang give me a break! (Heavy sarcasm!)
4. Don’t you just love the Olympics?  I’ve really enjoyed watching all these amazing athletes and have lost lots of sleep because of it, so I’ll be happy when they are over, but it’s great to enjoy something like this every two years.  It’s like getting your favorite cake on your birthday.
5. I’ve been reading a pretty good book while I’ve been away on business.  It’s called “I became a Christian and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.”  I got the book for free when I went to Qand a friend told me it was pretty good, so I brought it along.  I love the sarcasm and humor that Vince Antonucci has put into his writing and have related to many of the things he’s written about.  If you want an easy yet enjoyable read, check it out.
6. My son was having a rough day yesterday, so my wife called me and told me he needed to talk to me.  With big tears and a very whinny voice and mumbled a couple of sentences I couldn’t understand, so I reassured him I loved him and I’d be home soon.  After my wife got back on the phone she translated and told me he said “I’m a wreck without you and I need you to come home.” “I’m so depressed and will stay this way unless you come home!”  What a drama “King!”  We both got a great laugh and I called him tonight and he’s doing just fine.

That’s a ton more then I thought I’d be able to come up with, since my days have been filled with hot, humid, and noisy fabrication, oh and not much of anything else except water and Gator Aide.  I’ve not exactly had much quiet time or opportunities for deep thinking.  I miss my podcasts, conversations with friends, and my family and I can’t wait to be home tomorrow night.

Retread Sadness

One of the initiatives of Retread is the Jubilee Kids Club, which has partnered with a homeless shelter in McKinney, Texas called The Samaritan Inn.  Our club is pretty basic and very simple.  We just show up on Saturday’s and play with the kids at the inn from 10 – noon.  We take juice and cookies and all the balls and fun toys we can carry.  Our motto…”We love to play!”

We’ve been doing this club since February and it’s really been fun.  This past Saturday was our biggest group so far and we just had a blast.  Judging by all the smiles we saw from the kids, I’d say they had a pretty good time too.

One of the tough things with volunteering can be growing attached to the people you are serving.  We are simply serving through play and attention to the kids, and giving the parents a little time to spend alone, to take a deep breath, and unwind for a few minutes.  Some weeks it’s hard to say goodbye and you just want to give them all big hugs, but there are boundaries and rules in place and that’s not always possible.

It doesn’t keep us from falling in love with the people we meet there and it causes us to think about them throughout the week.  I often find my mind wandering and when I reel it back in I realize I was thinking about the kids at the Inn, and wondering how they are doing.  It’s a perfect opportunity for me to offer up a prayer and ask God to watch over them.

This past Tuesday we received some sad news.  One of the boys we met the very first week of our club, died in a swimming pool accident.  We couldnt’ believe it!  A seven year old so full of energy and life is gone.  We won’t ever get to see him at our club again and that’s sad.  His twin sister, older sister and mom may never return to the shelter, so we may not get to see them again.  No closure, no goodbye’s, but plenty of finality.

This week has been heavy as a result of this news.  I’ve struggled with my writing and my desire to check in on the social networks and blogs I frequent.  My mind has been on Christopher and his family.  I’ve been asking questions and wondering why certain things like this have to happen.  I can only hope and trust that God is holding Christopher today!

God I pray for your grace and peace.  I pray that you will be with this grieving family, who already had it so tough they were living in a homeless shelter.  Where do they go from here?  How do they continue on from this point?  Please be with them.  Show them your love.  Be close to them and give them peace today.