Merry Christmas

Christmas afternoon and not a person was stirring not even Mickey Mouse that Matthew got this morning.
I'm exhausted.
Yesterday I got up and went downtown to CGM. It was lovely. I overheard a man asking Charles where he's been staying at. Charles replied that he's been able to stay at the shelter lately. This man said that Charles was lucky, because he's been sleeping outside.
It's been in the 20s and 30s out at night.
Can you imagine? As you snuggle down in your covers, curl up a little tighter behind your lover, can you imagine sleeping outside?
Christmas Eve Eve this man said the police were rousing him from all of his "beds" and telling him to move along. So he ended up just walking around all night, literally walking around because there was no place for him to sleep.
I looked at his eyes, and he was just weary. That weary that we think we know, when we can't go another step, well he felt that way, and had to keep walking.
Another guy that I see regularly down there said that someone stole his coat while he was sleeping, stole it right off of him! I mean, there are days that I forget my coat, or don't want to wear it, but I'm outside maybe, MAYBE, 20 minutes....this man lives out there.
Jesse, who I see almost all the time, who has a slow, sweet smile every time he sees me was there. The baptists were there this Monday so I was running back and forth to the kitchen for them, so I almost missed him. I went over and gave Jesse a big hug, wished him a merry christmas and he smiled, slowly and sweetly back, and said merry christmas too. I asked him how he was doing, and he smiled again and said, "Oh, I'm alright, how are you?"
I mean it's almost so simple this joy they have in a meal, fellowship with other people, warmth. All these things that time and time again I take for granted, all these things that make me want to be cranky and snap at people around me when I don't get my way.
I saw Terry too. He gave me a big hug and an odd kiss on the shoulder, but I know he means well. Whenever I oversleep, or am out of town he misses me and that makes me feel special. I mean, how odd is it that I go to serve and leave feeling more served by them? God is so good.
I talked to a woman with the baptists (she was also baptist, and no I don't really know while the label is important) and she told me this great story about how she and her husband are really being refined and re-molded by God. They have sold their huge, expensive house, they are downsizing everything in their life to as close to only what they truly need as possible, so they can do more to bring glory to God then they would be able to. They're realizing that it's just stuff, and not really stuff that matters. Which makes my heart smile. I mean, how great is it that people are doing that on their own!? How great is it that this woman was shining so bright as she told me about all these things they are without that only a year ago would have made her think life was over without them? She spoke about this lightness that she and her husband have, that continues to grow as they continue to sort through the needs and the wants, the necessary, and the "it would be nice". Amazing. I find it absolutely amazing the things God does in the simplest way, with the quietest urging of our hearts.
Oh, and I finally got to talk to a man named Clyde. I told him the town I grew up in was named Clyde. I've seen him quite a bit, but have only just gotten the opportunity to talk to him. He was kind, funny, and entertaining. He had to get back to dish duty so we couldn't talk long, but he was so nice.

Our family went driving around and looked at Christmas lights, and attempted to go to bed early....but that didn't work out to well. I've been reigning with an iron first over Skip-Bo with Jeff, he hasn't won ONCE! hahahahahahahaha!
Up at 6 to get over to Sharen's for presents. It was fun seeing the kids get so excited over their gifts. I got some candles, perfume, lotion, mixing bowels, and the Bible Experience Old Testament on CD, which I super wanted.....the OT is hard to push through sometimes, but maybe that has more to do with the fact that I read right before bed ; )
I've made more chocolate, did some laundry, and am ready for a freakin nap!
The only thing that could have made this day better would be to see Jerry (SML, I know if you're reading this you're about to have a fit, but even if I'm okay with not seeing him I can still miss him so swim away from the worm!) This is the first Christmas in 7 years that I haven't seen him Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, and I wasn't really aware of how much I would miss that guy.

So I hope that you've had a merry christmas, I hope that you've taken the time to look around at your friends and family and let them know you love them, that you appreciate them. I hope you know how blessed you are to be inside today, to be warm, to be so full you have to undo your pants (if you didn't wear an elastic waist). I hope that you have hope today, hope that if things are bad, they will be better, hope that if things are dark, light is just around the corner.

Merry Christmas!