Happy Thanksgiving!

There are lots of things to be thankful for and a lot of those things we probably overlook most of the time. One thing I am glad I'm not a turkey around this time of year. According to eatturkey.com about 46 million turkeys are consumed in the United States on Thanksgiving.

I'm thankful that I am blessed with healthy children. Raising children is not easy, but I can't fathom how difficult it would be if they were not healthy. However, some parents due raise children that have health issues. To those I am thankful for your children and I am thankful somehow you find a way.

I'm thankful for my blog. I'm thankful I can write about anything I want. Of course I am thankful for my readers, my audience. It is nice to see they have visited and it is fun to read their comments.

I'm thankful for my day job. It is much better than being unemployed. I have plenty of vacation and sick leave. I have so many benefits to be thankful for.

I'm thankful I have a roof over my head. I'm thankful I have internet and smartphones. I am thankful I am not hungry or thirsty. I am thankful Hurricane Michael moved a few miles further east. While I am thankful we dodged it I know many were struck with destruction. I am thankful for the volunteers who fed, housed, cleaned up and repair. I know there is still so much to do but I am glad there are more volunteers.

I'm thankful I have been able to help the homeless in three different states. I am thankful there are people willing to help and provide food and shelter.

Yes there is so much to do, but I am thankful for what is happening. I am thankful for my blessings and I hope you have some too!

Thanksgiving!

I wish all my readers the best for Thanksgiving! I hope everyone was able to find something to be thankful for as I know sometimes in a world full of troubles that can be hard to find.

The news before thanksgiving was not pleasant. Children getting shot by police, granted the children were playing with toy guns that looked like the real things. The riots in the aftermath of the decision in Ferguson. I wanted to blog about it. However, nothing I could write could change the situation.
I almost fell through the trap door and started blogging about it.

I pray for healing in those communities. I pray for the riots to end and peace to prevail. I hope it wasn't a racial issue. I know the incident has widened the division between races in this melting pot we call America.

I truly hope those racial divides end. I am not a fan of dividing people up in politics the left and the right either. Then there is the religious divide. We are all different. We should celebrate these differences and enjoy living together in harmony.

I am thankful I have friends of different religions, races, and.backgrounds. I am thankful for the ones who have shared their traditions, their food, their culture and truly enriched my life.

That is why my thoughts are on peace and love! No, I am not trying to sound like an old hippy. However peace, love and together is a much greater alternative than what I see in the news. No more riots, no more injustice, no more big divides, lets come together and become something greater.

Maybe give the homeless shelter, maybe feed the hungry without being arrested, maybe lifting up instead of tearing down. If we all work towards that wouldn't we all be more thankful?

Kelly Thomas

I blog a lot about famous musicians, actors, and famous people who die. Perhaps someone in that realm who might be more obscure, but somewhere they had their 15 minutes of fame or more. I read on social media posts after blogging about Paul Walker's death that no one ever writes about ordinary people who pass away. I took that as a challenge. Work one in now and then.

Well, today's blog is about a guy name Kelly Thomas. He was a 37 year old homeless man. Reportedly mentally handicapped with the mental capacity of a child. The homeless that grabbed me too.I have worked with various organizations to stop homelessness. I see it everywhere. It is a major problem.

Today on Facebook on my feed I had two posts back to back. One about a police officer shoving an attack dog through the window of a suspects car to bite said suspect. That was pretty bad, then the next post was about Kelly Thomas. I've met some very nice police officers. I call some my friends. The actions of these cops were not right.

Don't watch the video at work. It is graphic, there is foul language, it is disturbing. Police were called to the area about a person breaking into cars that is why Kelly Thomas was being questioned. Investigators later confirmed Kelly Thomas did not break into the cars.

Below is the video..

The homeless are people they have rights too. Most police officers aren't like this.Obviously some are as the video shows. Could more training help? Questions we all can ask. Did Kelly Thomas deserve to die? No. Could this have been prevented? Yes. Do homeless people need places to live? Yes.

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

I am thankful a friend invited me to eat with his family. It was really kind especially since I couldn't be with my family.

Anyway I made a wrong turn on the way to my friend's house. A turn to soon using the navigator. As fate had it I came up to red light an there were some people in a black Mercedes SUV talking to a homeless man. They gave him a full meal and a clean shirt.

The two events taught me a lot about what Thanksgiving should be about.

On the subject of the meal it was delightful. Started out with a nice glass of wine. Probably the best tasting white wine I have ever had. Not saying much since I rarely drink wine. A meal with turkey, potatoes, garden fresh vegetables, squash from the same garden, stuffing, and rolls. I guess you could call it the works. It went by fast, since work was on tapped.

That's my holiday yours?

Cold Rain

Monday night into Tuesday morning I spent 10.5 hours volunteering at a cold weather shelter. The weather had been a bit on the warm side for January but Ihad turned into a 40s high 30s kind of day with a cold rain. Not the day you would want to be out on the streets. Not like there is a good time to be homeless. It is a place I will be back helping out at again soon.

Lets face it times are hard. My family struggles to keep from being homeless. So, I have no problem lending my time to help others. They are  a lot like me. Perhaps I have a better support group. Sure some have problems I have my share. It is in these personal tough times the degrees of seperation dissappear.

When the weather is bitter or icky I don't want to be homeless. If I can help shelter folks from a cold rain, a hard freeze, snow and ice, or just plain giving them a break from the streets or whereever they make their homes.I'd like to see year round shelters. Summers get hot and humid. Plus the storms we went through the big stoerm at the end of June, the scorching hot temps, Sandy coming through. It rains in the fall, summer and spring. There is a need then too.

Winter is perceived harsher. The threat of folks freezing to death, hypothermia, and more illnesses going around in the winter can easily mae the argument for a cold weather shelter. Maybe things will turn around and the homeless will find homes. Until then we need to help hem,

A to Z: Homeless

No I am not homeless. I have been lucky to manage to keep a roof over my head. I understand it can be a struggle sometime. I count my blessings that I have been fortunate to have a support network of friends and family when I have needed one.

I've volunteered at a cold weather shelter in Charles Town this winter. I was able to spend some time with the homeless. I was able to eat, pray and talk with the homeless. I was reminded that they are people. I also volunteer on the Board of Directors at Hope Alive. It is a shelter for single woman with or without children. It is a transitional shelter. Meaning the organization works with these woman until they are able to get on their feet, find housing, and are able to keep it. That sad thing is they can only help a limited number. I guess the sadder thing is so many other woman need help.More information can be found at their website.

Sometimes people only think about the homeless and the hungry when it is cold or near the Holidays. The truth is the homeless and hungry struggle year round.

Homeless Shelter: Passing of a Belt

My youth is fading day by day. My waistline doesn't shrink like it used too. Needless to say I had a couple of belts at home I can't use anymore. Last night a gentleman came in to the homeless shelter and needed a belt. I asked him what size waist he had. Today when I went to the shelter I brought him a belt.

The belt work and he could use it. If it would have stayed at my house it would have been a useless piece of old leather. A big ice and snow storm was on the way tonight so I am glad the shelter was open for the guys who needed it.

There are two Vietnam era veterans at the shelter. There might be more veterans. Why are these veterans homeless? It is a shame. Our country sent them away to fight a war. No matter the politics soldiers, sailors ad airmen put their lives on the line in the name of our country. They deserve our thanks and gratitude. They follow orders. If they can get shot at, suffer all kinds of hell in the name of the country, why can't the country find them a home? They deserve better.

The Homeless Shelter A Month Later

I do a lot for the homeless. I am on the board of directors for Hope Alive, serving homeless woman and children in Frederick, Maryland. I have volunteered at the REACH Cold Weather Shelter in Hagerstown, Maryland and now I find myself volunteering at a cold weather shelter in Charles Town, West Virginia. I volunteered at the shelter for the first time about a month ago. That day was bitter cold, one of the coldest nights we had this winter, we are talking single digit cold which is cold.

Tonight was milder, but a transitional night. It was in the mid 40's when they opened the doors. The temperature did drop some as I walked through town to meet my wife for a ride home. It had turned cold enough to sleet and the weather had changed to rain and sleet. You might think temps in the 40's aren't cold. However, I felt a man's hand tonight which was plenty cold. I insisted he have a cup of coffee before dinner.

I was happy the number of people staying in the shelter had grown. Yes, it is sad so many  need to stay in a shelter but I was glad the shelter was able to help more. I was disheartened to find out the fates of some I had met a month ago. I won't go into details. I will just say many homeless folks face different demons. The demons can take the face of alcohol, drugs, illness, mental issues and legal issues.

Cold weather shelters offer a place of warmth. Shelter from a storm or shelter from the cold. A warm meal. A place off the streets. A place of fellowship with others in the same boat.

Hagerstown Cold Weather Shelter

I wrote about the problem of homelessness in a November blog. Today I published an article about an organization doing something about it in Hagerstown, Maryland. The word needs to get out about these kind of organizations.

You can read the article here.

I think I left these facts out of the article so I will through them in here.

The shelter provides the homeless an address to use and a place to get messages and phone calls. This is a big deal because it allows potential employers a place to reach them, or family, or somebody who could potentially help them.

It gives them a place to do their laundry.

It gives them a place to shower.

The cold weather shelter is more than a warm meal or a cot to sleep in. If you want to learn more read my article and follow the links. If you want to do more volunteer at a shelter, I am sure you can find one that can use your help.

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas. I hope you were able to spend it with friends, family and love ones. If you have plenty, I hope you thought about the ones who don't. I hope the thoughts of the homeless, the hungry passed through your mind. I also hope you remember the fire fighters, the police, and the military who might not have been home due to duty. I hope you remembered their families. If your Christian I hope you reflected on the true meaning of Christmas. If your religion is something different I wish you the best for your winter holiday, your love ones and I hope you were able to think about the ones mentioned above. Blessings to all..

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what you are thankful for and sometimes it is easier to find than others.

I am thankful for the opportunity to help with Hope Alive. I am glad we are able to help all of the woman and children which we do help. I am thankful for the positive people I have met through Hope Alive.

I am thankful I am not homeless. I am humble enough to know I don't have much. I am thankful for all the blessings in my life. I am aware I am only a few steps away from being homeless.

I am thankful I have food to eat and so does my family. I am thankful I am able to help people through SHARE. I am thankful for the people I have met through SHARE.

I am thankful for my daughter. I am thankful she is healthy and beautiful. I am thankful for her mother, who helped create this beautiful child with me. I am thankful for the blessing to have such a beautiful child.

I am thankful for my stepson. I am thankful he is bright. I am thankful he is healthy (for the most part). I hope I have helped him, I have tried. I wish it was easier. I am thankful he likes to read. I am thankful he was able to win a writing award for being a gifted writer. I am thankful for the positive things we have heard about him. I am thankful that we have the future. We have a chance to unlock horns and improve are relationship. I am thankful he has a dad. I am glad he able to do things with his dad, just like I am thankful for the times I have been able to do things with him. I am thankful he was able to have a great birthday. I am thankful for his mom, since she is my wife as well. I am thankful he likes music. I am thankful he gets to travel. I am glad he is having a better school year so far. I am thankful he is able to take the gifted classes he takes.

I am thankful for the people who have helped us. I am thankful for the people I have helped. I am thankful for the little words of advice which mean a whole lot. I am thankful for the things I take for granted everyday. I am thankful for the things I never have said thanks for, or at least not to the right person.

How do you end the homeless problem?

I went to a workshop tonight in Frederick on helping the homeless. I know homelessness is not confined to Frederick. I know it is in Hagerstown, from volunteering at the cold weather shelter. I have seen the homeless in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC. I am pretty sure it happens where you live.

It is National Homeless Awareness Week, that is why my last two blogs have been spent on this topic. It is an important topic and you and I are only a few small steps of being homeless.

There were people from social services, churches and organizations trying to solve the homeless problem. The question I have is how to we end homelessness?

It is more of a question to reflect on, there isn't a simple answer. Well, there is house them. Simple, short answer until you get the how questions, the where questions and so on. Hopefully we will find an answer.

Busy Thursday

Tuesday was busy with work and two meetings to follow. Thursday will be the same kind of day. Work, followed by a board meeting, followed by a meeting.

Oh, well it will be one day closer to the weekend. The second meeting is about helping to solve homelessness in Frederick, Maryland. I'm aware of the problem and am trying to be part of the solution. Volunteering for Hope Alive is part of the solution. Going to see a wonderful concert by the California Guitar Trio for another organization is part of it. However, there is so much more to be done.

In the past I have also volunteered for the REACH Cold Weather Shelter in Hagerstown, Maryland. Homelessness is everywhere. We all need to work for solution.