Grace and Grit

A little while ago we had a new mom come to the shelter. She and her 5 year old son were homeless, with nothing to their names but a trash bag of clothes and an old kid's backpack. The son was happy, easy-going, and had a silver-toothed smile that lit up a room. I loved him instantly. His mom was a private person who was not accustomed to the structure and accountability The Sheepfold had. Her first night was especially difficult (which is common for most new families) and conversation around the dinner table was awkward. I tried to draw her into conversation, but didn't get anywhere. I wanted so badly to put her at ease, but nothing worked. When I'm working I try to make meal time engaging for the kids, keeping conversations light-hearted and requiring them to use their imaginations. I have so many great and hilarious memories of the crazy things that have come out of some of these kid's mouths. It's so ridiculously fun that sometimes I marvel at the fact that I ...

So I couldn't get to sleep at a decent hour tonight. I had a persistent scratchy throat that resulted in a cough every few minutes which was just enough to keep me awake. I know, you're already asking yourself why I would bother with a post like this one. Especially considering it's still the middle of the night and I have to be up in less than 4 hours. Trust me, I have a point. Since I couldn't sleep I was keeping my mind occupied with a book (Desecration by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins). I was becoming frustrated because I was (am still) tired and I don't feel sick, just a scratchy throat. Around 1am I was still reading and coughing when the light on the bed stand went out. I tapped it and twisted it and it came back on so I finished reading my chapter, assuming there was a loose connection somewhere. Finally, I had enough and turned out the light to at least let my eyes rest. After a few minutes I remembered that there is a fantastic medicinal tea in the ...

...Many of you who know me know that for the past 15 years I've been interested in working with at-risk populations. I felt especially drawn to juvenile delinquents, foster children, and grieving children who've lost an immediate family member. I had many opportunities to volunteer within these groups; Comfort Zone Camp, AWANA, OC Youth Guidance Center, Juvenile Hall, Babysitting, Character First, Rancho Santa Marta Orphanage, YUGO Zapata, Guatemala City, Bernal, Mexico City, Singapore... to name a few of the memorable ones. :-) Yet for all the volunteer opportunities I still felt like I was missing out on something! I wanted more and I wanted it full-time. Although I had a full-time job that was challenging I looked forward to my volunteer night and weekend jobs to carry me through the everyday 9-5. I do not regret my time spent in a cubicle, especially now that it seems it's already been ages ago! But it was disappointing to search and search for a full-time job in my ...