A Rescue Thanksgiving Day

We live in difficult times ... that's not new news.

Wars across the globe, the financial world is in shambles — why even our own Congress can't agree on anything.

We have folks, entire families living on the street, no home, no heat, no food. Nada, nothing but the clothes on their back and maybe some extra pieces of clothing or even a bit of food from the rescue mission down the street.

I know these people. I lived for these people as pastor of a rescue mission. This is their story — repeated over and over:

We finally get home, these days it's a fast food dumpster and I am thankful for that It's something: foam containers, napkins for the outdoor plumbing. If you're lucky there is some half eaten food too - perhaps a left over shake that would be good for my kid.

Thank you Lord. Well darkness is coming and the container top is closed. I am thankful for that — keeps the wind and snow out. problem is you need have a sharp ear so you can hear the dump truck coming to empty my house. wait, I can hear the truck coming.

Quickly I wake up everone and we grab our "stuff." Never leaving it unpack just for times like this.

Out we go sinking up to our knees in new fallen snow that just for a moment makes everything look so clean and pretty. Quickly take a head count. Yep, we are all together still I am so thankful for that.

Just last week, I heard that a guy got compactered. pressed to death ... not found until they emptied the truck. Off to the morgue you go. Maybe they will be able to identify him.

I looked up at the bank clock flashing the numbers for the time. If we hurry we can get some food, some breakfast. I hear tonight there going to serve a turkey dinner with at fixens. They will be lots of folks coming so many that the feed in shifts. Heard they cooked over 60 of them birds. I think everything was dontated. That's some thing to be thankful for.

Oh yes, there wlll be a large group of volunteers dresses up in thie Sunday going chuch clothes.

Of course there is the media too. Taking pictures and interviewing. Happens every year. Tomorrow, they will be gone. Some folks will happy. They don't want to be on TV, especiially those who had high posistions in the town's big wheel companies or perhaps the cops are looking for them. Problems, problems.

The mission pastor, old Skinhead, says, "that problems are nothing more than opportunities in work clothes." Sorta makes sense doesn't it?

Now they are down with us. So sad...families broken up marriages destroyed. But heck they are still alive...and that's something to be thankfull for.

Happy ThanksLiving ya all, from our house to yours.