Grace and Grit

'Twas the night before Christmas... and they were praying for YOU. My Christmas Eve is just coming to a close. It's been one busy day trying to balance time between the shelter and family, but it has been a fantastic day full of tradition, joy, and reflection. At the shelter this evening we attended a candlelight Christmas Eve service. I had never been to one at this church before. For those of you that don't know I recently transferred to another shelter location (still with The Sheepfold but now a different city). I have been adjusting to all the changes and now feel settled into this new home. The service was beautiful and rich with meaning as we reflected on the significance of the best gift we could ever receive, Jesus. It is especially intriguing for our moms to think of God choosing to enter the world as a baby...who had a mother who changed His diapers, watched Him learn to walk, talk, and introduced Him to the world that He created. After church we came ho...

So I got a bit behind with posting last month, but better late than never right? :-) Here is another story of one of our moms from Christmas past. Natasha* came to the Sheepfold about a week before Christmas. Right in the middle of the office staff's busiest season! We were the only one of the Sheepfold's shelters that had an opening so Natasha was placed with us. She and her two children had been homeless for almost 1.5 years in the LA area, spending the seasons in and out of temporary shelters. Her son was 7 and her daughter not quite 2. Natasha had worked full-time in a warehouse until her daughter was born. After that, childcare was no longer affordable when combined with her other living expenses and after trying to make ends meet for several months they were finally evicted and spent their days on the streets. When Natasha and her children arrived at the shelter we showed them their room and let them get settled. Her son was wearing only a t-shirt, old sweat ...

Last year I shared my first impressions of a Sheepfold Christmas. If you haven't read that post you can read it here . This Christmas was a little less chaotic because my house wasn't quite as full, but it was every bit as precious as last year. Rather than share my experiences I thought I'd let you read one of our moms' thoughts on Christmas at the Sheepfold. But first, a little bit of background on this mom. :-) Last Christmas our mom (who I will call Beth*) was homeless and staying at an emergency shelter. Emergency shelters are short-term, usually co-ed places where you can sleep, take a shower, and have a hot meal. If you've seen the film The Pursuit of Happynes s it is the kind of shelter where you have to wait in line hoping they'll have a bed for you each night. They can be scary places for someone like Beth with two children under the age of 4. She was hopeful however that this would be a blessed first Christmas for her little ones. The shelter she w...

Okay okay, I said when I started this blog that it would not be one of those projects that turns into a place to post pictures of food, offering nothing but someone elses' recipes (with a personal twist or two thrown in). However, my last post was a heavy one and this is a merry month so I'm going to post something just for fun! The sun has set and the fog is starting to come out at the shelter. The little ones have settled themselves in the living room with their moms and are enjoying Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The house is (mostly) decorated, trees and interior lights are up, hot apple cider is ready, and a big pot of chowder is on the stove simmering. This is a recipe of my mom's that we enjoyed growing up. But of all the rich soups, stews, and chowders we used to eat this was actually my least favorite. It grew on me though and now I love it! If you're in the mood for something rich and hearty you should try this! Fish Chowder 4 cups water 2 lbs...

I had the privilege of working Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at the shelter last week. Rather than switch shifts out Sunday at 7am like we managers usually do, we decided to wait until 9am so that the early morning craziness would be over and the transition would be easier. I had mixed feelings at first when I saw my schedule would fall on Christmas eve and morning. Christmas is one of those holidays that is full of tradition. Christmas Eve was always (ALWAYS) spent with my mom's side of the family at my Grandma's house. It is my favorite gathering of the season. Singing carols, opening gifts, eating Mexican food...ahh the song "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof comes to mind. :-) My cousin Kim and I have a running tradition of filling an old pringle can with mementos and notes each year as a make-shift mini time capsule. It's a great opportunity to catch up on the extended family's lives and encourage each other. Not to be a part of that, among other...

Personally, Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love that the season seems to stretch from Thanksgiving to New Years. The longer the better! I'm always the last one to throw out the tree. :-) I've already spent weeks listening to Christmas songs and developing a strategy of how best to string up my lights. But for many of the women and children that enter The Sheepfold's doors Christmas has not been something they have looked forward to each year. Christmas has been just another day to feel alone, neglected, wounded, and broken. Last Saturday a group of 5 adults came to the shelter for a couple hours. That's not unusual as there are frequent volunteers and interns who sacrifice their time to invest in the lives of our moms and their children. But this group brought a little something extra with their hearts full of love. They brought our house a live Christmas tree, lights, a cake, carols, and the Christmas story. They spent their time jumping right in and ...