One Tragedy Away...

July 16th, 2017 was the 3rd annual “Christmas in July” for the Akron Snow Angels at Grace Park.   With this being a different event than the normal missions for the Snow Angels, I was afforded the luxury of being able to wander a bit.   I took some time to sit back and observe things as they were happening.   I watched to see how people were interacting.   I watched to see how things moved, evolved, and grew.   One of my favorite moments was right near the beginning of the day when I noticed a gentleman waiting in line singing and dancing without a care in the world.   Seeing that big of a smile on the face of someone that may not have too many reasons to smile, makes you realize why days like this need to happen.

Towards the end of the day, I noticed that there was a man sitting in the middle of the festivities, alone.   I hadn’t seen him talk to anyone.  He wasn’t focused on the people or the happenings in the park that day.   He was in his own little “bubble” of sorts.   He looked relaxed, but that went away very quickly as I approached him.  

“Hi, I’m Josh.   I look to learn about and from people.   Mind if I have a seat?”   He gave me the same look that most people give to a door to door salesman.  

“Where are you from?” I asked.

“Cuyahoga County”, he replied with little to no emotion.

At this point, I knew there was something to this gentleman.   In the way that he said it, I could tell that he was not hiding anything.   He was not trying to deny life choices he has made.   He was not trying to hide a checkered past.   I didn’t see fear in his eyes, but I did see a skeptic.   He wanted to keep his information to himself to protect himself.   As someone that often fights a bit of a paranoid streak myself, I can understand why he would react this way to a complete stranger asking him personal questions.      

We started to talk more about random things.   We discussed some of the awkward subjects.  Politics, religion, life in general.   We figured out that we were even born at the same hospital!   In this, we found not necessarily completely common ground, but he became more comfortable with me.   I think it’s at this point that he could tell that I was being totally honest.   I had no agenda other than to learn about him, and hopefully from him.  There was never moment where things clicked.   There was however, a progression to a small level of comfort which I promptly stepped past.   

“Where do you stay now?” I asked.   Seeing his reluctance to answer such a direct question I pointed and said “North? South? East? West?”

“I’m west of here.”   With some prodding, he elaborated on how he likes where he is at.   It’s private.   It’s nice.   He can think there.   “It’s just me and one other guy in this spot.   I’m able to be alone there and not have to worry about others.” he said.    

I pushed a little farther and asked how he ended up in Akron since he’s originally from Cuyahoga County.   He gave me the overall story of how he ended up here but in telling this, he went from a stoic man, to a man with a broken heart in the matter of seconds.   His body language changed.   He looked down instead of at me.   His shoulders slumped.   His demeanor changed.  There was no water works.  There was no drama.   There was just a very sad story to tell.      

Here is where we sat on the ground and talked.   I'll remember this spot

The details didn’t matter to me once I heard the basic storyline.   He moved here to live with his girlfriend.   They had a good life.  She was accomplished in her profession and had a job that many dream of.   He was hunting for work at the time when she unexpectedly passed away.  It was in that very moment, he lost everything.

Imagine losing your significant other, and your financial security all in an instant.   Everything happening in a wicked swing from happiness to misery.   It makes me ask of myself and those around me “how would you handle it?”

“I like my time alone.   It helps me to get away from the past and try to move forward” he said on more than one occasion.    It wasn’t until then end of our chat when I finally asked his name.   Being as guarded as he was, I’m keeping it to myself.   He enjoys his privacy and I’d like to let him continue to do that.   I left feeling that I uncovered a hidden gem of a person.   He just needs some time to dust himself off and get his shine back...   

What did I learn from my interaction with this gentleman?

1. You are stronger than you think.   Everything else can change in an instant.   There’s not always time to plan.   Sometimes, you have to react and trust in your own strength that you can power through the storm.   He adapted and found out that he is stronger than he thought.   He may have emotional injuries to deal with, but he has survived.   He is healing.   He will be better than before.   As a human, know that you have that ability within you also.          
2. This gentleman totally reinforced my idea of who a homeless person is.   Picture a homeless person in your head.   Imagine how they act.   Imagine how they speak.   Imagine their motions.   Imagine the language they used.   I am very secure in saying that the imaginary character in your head is very wrong.   He is no different than anyone reading this.   He has just experienced a different chain of events that I would not wish upon anyone.   We are merely one tragedy from being in his situation.   There is no stereotype for the homeless and homeless is not a stereotype.   It’s a condition.   A fixable one.  

When it was time to go, I shook his hand and thanked him.   I knew that we touched on some subjects that weren’t always easy for him to talk about.   I learned something huge and I also had a lesson reinforced.   No one will ever be able to repay the cost that he has paid.   It is my hope that learning from his words that we can start to help him and others like him lead a more comfortable, human life.      

Reflecting on the warmth

Today was the last mission of the season for the Akron Snow Angels.   As everyone enjoyed the 70+ degree temperatures today, most people could be seen out enjoying the weather.   Most people have the “spring has sprung” feeling as many of us seemed to forget that there were below freezing temperatures and 5-6” of snow on the ground just 2 days ago in many areas.   The homeless have not.   

As most of us go to bed thinking of summer cookouts and outdoor activities in the summer sun, the homeless stay wondering how cold it will still get.   I did see a lot of relief for many of them as they are realizing that the worst part of the season should be behind them.    In the same sense, you can also see in their faces that they realize that the battle isn’t over yet.   There’s still cold to fight.   There’s still a struggle to stay warm.   

As I drove home, the conversations that I heard made me ask some questions of myself.   What am I worried about?   What concerns me?   Why?   I kept asking the “why is that” question until it became a “is it a basic need” question.   In most of the cases, the answer was no.

Lesson one:   Concerns are often based on the overall situation.   They shouldn’t be.   Do not take the basics for granted.

A gentleman came up to the request truck today and said “you probably don’t still have my stuff  because it was January when I requested it, but I figured I’d ask anyways.”   Without a hesitation, Megan and Lisa dug into the mountain of requested items to see what the possibilities were.   At the bottom of a box, were the boots that the man requested a few months prior.   

Elated is too mild of a word for how this man felt.   I’ve seen people win on television game shows that weren’t this happy.   Seeing the worn out shoes on his feet, I can understand why.   Those of us that witnessed this couldn’t help but share in this feeling.   Everyone that was there shared in the joy.   His happiness spread like an unstoppable force.   

It felt like every ounce of work for the year was worth it, even if it was just getting this one man his boots.   As he walked away with the extra skip in his step, I started to run through my own thoughts.   I loved this feeling.  I wanted more of it.   “Where can I get this?   What do I need to do for this?    How did this happen?”   I started to boil it down to the root cause and how it lead to the end result.   As I added things up, I realize it was a very simple formula.   

Lesson two: You only need to exceed the expectation of one person to make a world of difference to many.   

     

When I start to reflect on the missions from this year, it leaves me with a vast quantity of emotions.   I feel accomplished, but that there is still so much more that needs done.   I feel educated, but that education has shown me a sample of how little I actually know.   I feel tired, but energized to do it again next season.   Most of all, I feel better.   I feel that I’m better than I was in November when the first mission of the year happened.  

I love sharing these lessons and hold the hope that they can help you.   In the same sense, learning is a process that is better through experience than teachings.   Get involved.   Get your children involved.   Make your community better.   Find ways to help.   If you need assistance in finding out what some of the needs are out there in the community, please contact me.   Through my experiences, I have come in contact with many groups and many organizations that can use your help.   I am more than happy to assist in finding someplace that can utilize your talents.   There is always some way that you can make a difference.   Some way that you can make this world better for someone...including yourself.   There are no reasons as to why you cannot help.   There are only excuses not to.   

Why smile?

I’ve been on two missions with the Akron Snow Angels since my last blog post.   Why haven’t I posted?    It’s not because I didn’t learn anything.   It’s been quite the opposite.   For me, I’ve wanted to look at things from a different perspective.   I wanted to see things with a different mindset.   I wanted to let other approaches take over for a bit and see where they lead me.   In all of this, I’ve learned a lot about myself, and people in general.   As for the mission, there were two things that seemed to stick out for me today as I talked to people.   Both points came to me from totally different levels….literally.

My first lesson was very much in my face.    Actually, I had to kneel down for it to be in my face.   In the picture, I’m talking with a gentleman named Michael.   According to those close to him, Michael was really excited to talk to me and tell me exactly what he really wanted.   Michael wanted shoes.   A size 3 kids shoe.   When I asked him what color he enthusiastically replied with, “It doesn’t matter, but I really like blue and red.”   

I’m not sure of his story.   I’m not sure of his parents story.   I do know that Michael is a neat kid.   He’s bursting at the seams with personality.   He’s got a winning smile and happy-go-lucky attitude in a less than ideal situation.   I can honestly say that Michael made my day today.

As a young child, Michael has a simpler view of the world than most of us.   In getting me back to the basics, this young man reminded me of something that I need to do more on a daily basis.

Lesson one:   Smile.   It’s contagious.

Of recent, I’ve found myself using one word in the english language more than any other, and it’s become extremely helpful to me.    The word “why” has been my guiding word of late.   As people, it’s our natural tendency to ask the “who, what, where, when”, and just file that information away.   As I’ve started to dig into the “why” of things, I’ve been able to diagnose problems rather than just look at the symptoms.   

It seems like so many people see a homeless person and assume that “poor life choices” are the reason as to why that person is living the way that they do.  If you only ask the who, what, where, and when, then I get why you’ll come to that conclusion.   When you start to ask why they made some of those choices, that’s when you really start to learn about these people.   That’s when it finally clicks as to how we can truly help people.   When you keep asking “Why?”, you’re able to break things down into solvable problems.   

Lesson two:   Continually ask “Why?” if you want to solve problems instead of symptoms.      

It’s been a little over a year that I’ve been going on missions with the Akron Snow Angels.   I feel like I’m just now reaching a new understanding of what is happening, and how we can move to make things better.   All of this because I am continually asking the question “Why?”   I suggest that you do the same.

How important is it?

Today’s lesson for me took some dissection of the whole day and a lot of time spent with me asking “why did this happen?”   When leaving Grace Park after another very successful Snow Angels mission, I had to look at a situation that happened a number of times to see what was the driving force behind things.   

So many of the people that I come in contact when on these missions are amazingly gracious.    As I talk with other volunteers, I always hear stories of people coming up to stations and saying “ok, thank you.   I already have enough of those.”     It’s always seemed strange to me.   I think that this is partially because I’m not sure how I would react in the same situation.   What would I do?

When working the request truck, the difference typically goes the opposite direction than with the other stations.   There have been a few instances where we were not able to get all of the requested items for an individual.   Sometimes we can’t find a requested item as it may be an odd size.   Towards the end of the season, many of the stores are out of the larger sizes of coats.      

For the mission 2 weeks ago, we were supposed to have boots for a gentleman by the name of Kevin.   To me, it was strange that we didn’t have them.   I remember talking to Kevin about the boots.   I knew his name even.   Yet, his boots weren’t in the truck.   In fact, his name didn’t even appear on the list.   Did I accidentally delete him?   Did I forget to enter it?   Either way, none of that mattered at the time.   Kevin didn’t get the boots he very much needed and was quite upset about it.

As we talked, Kevin mentioned how he doesn’t stay close to downtown and getting to Grace Park isn’t easy for him.  He talked about how he has to stand and walk a lot and how he needs something so his feet don’t hurt constantly.   He was upset.   His frustration was very apparent.   As I listened to him say all of this, I tried to take it all in and just listen.  I wanted to make sure that he knew I was actually listening to what he was saying and not just brushing him off.   I wanted to make sure that he felt that I was going to do something to make sure that this didn’t happen again to him.   

In listening to him, I started to realize how many different things could contribute to why he was so frustrated.   For many, including myself, there seems to be a feeling of “you’re lucky to have us here at all”.   We all start to think, “Why are you mad at us? We’re out here helping you.   Why are you so ungrateful?”    Then I realize, it’s not the items that we did or didn’t bring, it’s how we made the people feel that was the difference.  

When Kevin mentioned it was difficult for him to get to Grace Park, it took me a minute to figure out why.   He stays in the Fairlawn area.   For most of us, a 12-15 minute drive in a car.   We hop in at our convenience and just go.   For him, it’s an estimated 29 minute bus ride...if he can afford a bus pass.   So he either walked for close to 2 hours, or spent valuable bus tokens on getting here for nothing.   Then had to do the same to get back.   For most of us, a 30 minute round trip for nothing would make us feel like we wasted our time.   For him, it could have been 4+ hours of walking…in leaky boots.   It was probably wasted resources that are extremely scarce to begin with.   

I started to realize the emotional component that could be behind all of this also.   These new boots could have been the highlight of the week, month, or maybe even the year.   For all I know, I’ve done the equivalent of climbing down some kids chimney at Christmas, ate the cookies, and left a note saying “better luck next year kid”.    In a world that doesn’t always have many outside influences that bring brightness, I may have been that bright spot.  As I left, all I could think of was that he was looking forward to these, and I let him down.

On the previous mission when I talked to Kevin, I felt awful.  I made no excuses.   I could honestly say I didn’t know why we didn’t have the boots.   I left the mission angry with myself.   

Through the week, I checked and re-checked the sheet to make sure that Kevin’s items were on the list.   I made sure that they got ordered.   When I arrived for the mission on Sunday, I dove into the box of requests just to make sure that they were there.   I did not want to feel that way twice.   

We arrived at Grace Park on Sunday and within a few minutes, I saw Kevin.   He had a look on his face that just seemed to scream “skeptical”.   It felt so good to assure him that the boots were in the truck and ready for him.   

We actually had two pairs of boots for Kevin.   One was a set of waterproof work boots, and the other was a rubber boot.   My mind was totally blown when Kevin came up to me after receiving the boots and said “Thanks for getting these!   These work boots are super nice! I love them!   They’ll work great!  The rubber ones, I probably can’t use though.   Can you get them to someone that might be able to?”    

I was a bit stunned.    Here, we totally failed for this man 2 weeks earlier, and now all he wants to do is make sure that someone else gets the boots that he may not get as much use out of.   He could have easily kept the other boots and maybe even sold them for a few dollars.   Instead, he just wanted to make sure that they went to someone that needed them more than him.   Once again....think long and hard about how you would react in that situation.

The things I learned this week were hard on me because in a way, they came at someone else’s expense.   

1. What you consider a slight inconvenience, could be something extremely difficult for someone else.
2. Your word, no matter what the situation is binding.
3. There’s no better feeling than coming through for someone. The opposite is also true. There’s no worse feeling than failing someone.

I started my week with a sense of being highly aware of those around me.   Treat every interaction as it’s the most important one.   For those you’re interacting with, it just might be.   

Your future and a tent

My weekend of Akron Snow Angels activities started early this time.   A number of weeks ago, a friend of mine mentioned what her amazing daughter has started as a tradition for her birthday.    She picks a charity, and asks everyone to bring donations for that charity.   For her 12th birthday party, she picked the Akron Snow Angels.   When I first heard this, I was excited.   As time passed, I honestly forgot the date so when I received a message last night with a picture of tables that were piled full of toothpaste, socks, soap, and coats, I was speechless.   I’m not sure that it’s still fully registered with me.   Most kids are upset when they don’t get the latest and greatest video game that they asked for...and this one wants nothing more than to know that she’s helping others.   

A fixture with the Akron Snow Angels is Ty.   Ty is just one of those kids with a smile and personality that makes him tough not to like.   Ty can often be found doing things like any other 12 year old on a Sunday morning.   He’ll be out tossing a football or joking around with his friends.   The difference is that a lot of those friends are homeless.   Ty has been involved with the Akron Snow Angels for a while now and I’m not sure that I can put into words how well he interacts with everyone at the missions.   There’s no awkwardness that you’d normally see from someone of his age.   There’s just this burning desire to help people.   His most amazing talent with the people is getting them to smile.   He just gets people to light up.   It’s a joy to watch.      

These two amazing kids are the products of proud parents that have taken an active role in deciding the future.   Not just the future of their kids, but the future for all of us.   Their active role with their kids has created compassion and hope for the future.   The generous attitude and mindset of compassion that has been instilled in these kids has taught me something.   

Lesson one: The future is what you make it.   No one else.   You.

If you’ve followed the blog, you may remember a man I wrote about last time that had just gotten a job and was in need of a set of Carhartt overalls.   The following Tuesday, someone had written into the Akron Snow Angels and asked if they could purchase the needed coveralls.    Since being involved with the Akron Snow Angels, I have seen a lot of great things happen.   This honestly ranks near the top for me.   

When we arrived at the mission, I was grateful to be able to snag a few minutes where I could actually talk to the recipient of the warmest coveralls you’ll find.   His energy was contagious.   “It's going great.   They’ve been able to give me some extra hours, so I’ll take that every chance I can get.   I get paid next Friday!   We’d love to be able to find a place as I really want to get us into a place and out of the tent.   If you know of anyplace, let me know.”   Hearing all of this and his hopeful outlook is a wonderful ray of light in a often dim place.

 

As I talked with him, I mentioned the blog and how the relationship that he and his wife shows through and has made quite the impression on me.   He instantly thanked me for getting the coveralls to him and wanted me to pass on his gratitude for the good Samaritan that purchased them for him.   He then said something so simple, but extremely profound.   “When you have nothing else, each other is all that matters.”    

Those words stuck with me the rest of the day.   I realized that what he said has a lot of truth.   In the same sense, I think that he could have made it simpler.

Lesson 2: Each other is all that matters.    

There were so many other interactions today that I had that all seemed to point me in this same direction.   Please, take a few minutes to look around to see what really matters.   When it gets cold later this week, ask yourself this…   Who do you want in your tent?

Support for a different perspective

Christmas day I spent time with some friends at Grace Park.   Since my first involvement with the Akron Snow Angels, the group has expanded my circle of friends farther than I had ever imagined.   I really look forward to meeting up with my friends...to go visit my other friends.   For a sheltered kid from the country, it’s been a wonderful experience and has opened up my thought process on almost everything that I do.   

My Christmas has always involved a morning trip to my folks house to open a few gifts a first.   After that, my mom cooks a meal that you typically eat until it hurts...and then you have a  few more bites just because it’s that good.   A few weeks ago, I told my mom that I wanted to do the Christmas mission with the Akron Snow Angels.   In the back of my mind, I was wondering how the holiday would work with me doing this though.   Being a small, but very close family, we have our routines.   We have our traditions.   Without a hesitation, everyone adapted to work around the plans that I had.   As soon as I heard how willing everyone was to work around my schedule for the day, the first lesson dawned on me.  

Lesson one: The people that truly care will find ways to support what you’re passionate about.

The trip to Grace Park was a bit different for me this time.   I didn’t really have anything that I needed to take care of.   Instead of taking requests, I got to walk around, mingle, and just generally chat with people.    At first, I didn’t really know what to do.   As soon as I saw my friends Mike and Jared, it all became pretty easy.   

“Hi Mike!  How are you?”.   

“Fighting a bit of a sinus issue, but I’m doing good.   How about yourself?” he responded

Mike lives in a tent in a wooded area in Akron.   Let that sink in for a second.   He lives in a tent.   In the woods.   In the city.   On Christmas.   ...and he says things are good.   This is why I think I like talking with Mike so much.   There’s never really a negative word.   He’s nice, genuine, and polite.   Mike is always just a pleasure to talk to.   

If you looking for someone that has a library's worth of facts stored in their head, Jared is the guy that you want to talk to.   He’s always full of energy and always working on some small practical joke to get a smile out of someone.   Needless to say, you’re hard pressed to find someone that’s not a fan of Jared.   

Lesson two: Perspective is everything and the situation is exactly what you make of it.

In this holiday season, I’m grateful to be in a position where I have people around me that support me and my passions.   I am also really glad that I have friends of all walks of life.   These friends make me laugh, and make me realize that those laughs are the most important thing.   

To all of you, my most sincere thanks for making this holiday season a special one.   

Questions and answers

Whenever I go out with the Akron Snow Angels, there are a ton of positive things that come out of every mission.  You can’t help but feel good when you hand someone a few needed items.   You get varied reactions, but a high level of gratitude.   I’ve discovered that the gratitude isn’t necessarily because you gave them something tangible.   In many cases, it’s because you’ve given them one less thing to worry about.   In other cases, you’ve given someone the slightest bit of comfort in a very uncomfortable world.   It’s a powerful and wonderful feeling.   I suggest that you try it.   

A cart full of caring

Unfortunately, Saturday’s lesson came via a few pieces of news from within the community that were a bit disturbing.   As I write this, I’m not sure what percentage of angry, upset, and sad I’m feeling, but all of those emotions are currently stirring around at a rapid pace   

As we left for the day's mission, it was mentioned that there had been a fire and a few tents were lost to it.   This is tough to hear, but at that point, there is a certain amount of anonymity that allows a person to feel distant enough to stomach the news fairly easily.   As the day went on, there became two more bits of information that were discovered later that are much more difficult to digest.   

The first piece of news that we heard was that there is speculation that the tents being burned was an act of arson.   Other than someone intentionally setting the fire, there wasn’t another known source of ignition nearby.   Hearing that it was intentionally set, this is where my brain starts acting like a curious 4 year old’s and asking the “why” question over and over again.   Why would someone do this?   Why?   Just why?   Why could this have possibly seemed like a good idea to someone?   Personally, it’s the questions that I can’t find the answer to that I find are the most difficult to deal with.   “Why” happens to be one of them in this case.

News always carries more weight when it hits close.   Later in the day, we found out that the two people that lost their tents in the fire are well liked in the Akron Snow Angels group.   Friendly, chatty, and even a bit witty.   Each has a distinct personality of their own.   They are tough, but approachable.   Unique, but unassuming.   If you start a conversation with them, you’re going to end up with a good laugh.  If you get something for them, they both show their extreme gratitude in their own, unique way.   One with a handshake that could crush a rock and the most sincere thank you that you’ll find anywhere.   The other says “thanks” with a shy smile and a slight turn of his head.   You can tell he’s truly grateful, but he isn’t always quite sure how to handle it.   How is it that these two guys lost everything?   

It’s always tough to figure out what really happened.   I’m not a professional detective and much of what I have heard about the events leading up to this is speculation.   “Why” isn’t the right question for me to be asking.   It is tough to steer away from that as wanting to answer the big “why” question is a huge part of what makes us human.   It’s how we figure things out.   It is what we use to discover things.   It was later on when I realized that the more productive question that I need to be asking starts with “how”.    How can I help?

You can only get the best answer if you’re asking the right questions.  

Connecting through trust

Another mission with the Akron Snow Angels today and I have come away from it with a slightly different perspective on things.   All of the missions set out with the same ideals, but they all seem to have a different feel to them.   There’s an evolution that’s happening here on a lot of different levels.   It’s a good feeling.  

When you wake up to a day that is 48 degrees and raining, it’s not exactly exciting for most of us.   For those that live without a roof of their own, it is pleasant change from -5 degrees and snowing.   With this, you can see that the focus has started to change.   People are asking about waterproof boots, raincoats, and umbrellas.   Staying dry is now the priority, but that can be a tall order during this time of year in Akron, Ohio.   Why is this exciting?    It’s warmer.  The “will I freeze tonight” is becoming less and less of a question.   That is one less thing for someone to worry about.  

As I was talking with people today at our first stop, I felt a bit torn. It’s a similar feeling that I had with Rudy on the good/bad side of things.   It’s nice to see that people are safe.  It’s nice to chat with the same people and get to know them.   It’s hard to realize that they are still in the same difficult situation.   It’s tough knowing that it’s a daily struggle just to survive for some of these people that I feel connected to.   I leave happy and less concerned than I have been in weeks past, but a bit sad at the same time.

The second stop usually consists of slightly shorter interactions, but quantity increases at least 10-fold.   Even with the rapid fire interactions and the wide cross section of people, I feel that I really am still able to learn about and connect with some of them.   There is a bond, a friendship, and trust that comes when you open yourself up to talk with people.   In a situation where there is constant fear for health, belongings, and mere survival, it’s an amazing thing to see someone relax for a few minutes.   They feel good for a few minutes.   It’s wonderful to be able to deliver that also.

One of the interactions that was memorable today was with a gentleman that we had ordered boots for.   He is a tall, slender man that I remembered from our last mission as soon as I saw him.   He is very nice, but is quiet.   He has a unique breathing pattern that hinders his ability to speak sometimes.   He needed our patience to get the right information to us so we could find his boots.   We didn’t rush him as there was no need.   We let him do his thing.   I could tell that he really appreciated our willingness to work with him and wait for him.   With some patience, I found his boots buried in bags of requested items and handed them to him.   He must have thanked me 15 times and when he left, held out his hand for a fist bump.   To him, it seemed like a lot to reach out to do that.   To me, it was a connection.     

My lesson today was a reinforcement of a previous one.   Trust...Don’t expect it, work with people and make it a point to earn it.   Trust is the key in all relationships and is well worth it.   I feel that I have earned the trust of some people today.   Although these relationships may not be the ones that get me a corner office overlooking the city, they have a value that I can feel and that I treasure.   

If you haven’t had a fist bump from a homeless person make your day…maybe you should.

Simple things

A blur.   That’s the only way that I can describe the mission today for Akron Snow Angels.   I was part of the request vehicle again.   That meant that the day started out with seeing how much compassion could be crammed into a 2 door Blazer.   Apparently, it can hold a lot more than most would think partially, because it comes in different forms for different people.   One pair of size 11 work boots can hold a right foot, a left foot, and the brightest hope for the job that can lead to a better situation.   A large pair of long johns and a knit shirt can hold 10 degrees of happiness on a chilly day.   A Batman toothbrush and toothpaste can make a child have a size 82 smile.   The Blazer could carry the tangible items.   A fleet of ships couldn’t come close to carrying the feelings.  

The first stop was just down the road to a smaller group .   Even with it only being my second visit to that site, I feel a personal connection with some of the folks there.   The feel is very much “some friends are stopping by to chat for a bit.”   We just happen to be the friends that drop off some much needed supplies at the time also.   It really is a comical bunch of folks that we get to hang out with.   Eager to talk.   Eager to share stories.   In need of the laughs.   

As we arrived at our second stop, I spotted Johnathon right away.   I was excited.   I had two pairs of pants for him, a nice insulated shirt, and a pair of boots that will keep his feet warm and dry.   I caught up to him and we chatted for a few.   He is adapting.   He doing what he can to get through this.   It’s not an easy road, but he seems to be staying between the lines.   It was good to see.

I saw Lee today but unfortunately didn’t get the chance to say hello and shake his hand again.   I am kicking myself a bit for not doing so and I’m making it a point to do so next time.   Seeing him again brought about a bit of a contradiction of feelings.  I want to see familiar faces so I know that they are ok and so I can share the laughter with them.   I hope that I never see them again as I hope they have the shelter, heat, food, and clothing that they need.   Emotionally, it’s a wild ride.         

What did I learn today?   I learned two things:

1. Big problems are solved with simple steps in the right direction.   

I saw a child smile because toothbrushing now involves his imagination and a superhero.   I saw someone gain a world of hope.   I saw someone less worried about freezing.  I saw a lot of people laughing and sharing in conversation.   These simple things can be the things that help solve much larger problems.   

2. I guess I should have paid more attention in math.

It’s in my nature to want to put a measurement to things.   Maybe my high school math teacher would be disappointed, but I need help with this problem.

Solve for x

x = hope + 10 degrees + size 82 smile

My math says x = u