Christmas At the Shelter

Christmas at the Shelter

Rotating Emergency Shelter

Cecil County, MD

Christmas 2016

It is dinnertime on this Christmas day at the shelter for the homeless. It’s cold. Everything is closed for this day. The town feels like a ghost town. I am at the dreary basement shelter which serves as a respite for the 20 people who do not have to walk the streets today.

As we stand in the circle and reflect on our blessings. one homeless woman tells us, “you volunteers here today will never understand how grateful we are to you. I know it seems like a small thing but it was a big thing today to spend a whole day at the shelter. It was so nice not to have to walk the streets on Christmas. It doesn’t seem like much but this is all we got it. We’re so grateful we got to spend today here.  Thanks for making it so that we didn’t have to walk the street today”.

She’s right. I came to the shelter today with thoughts of dread.  How awful to have to spend Christmas here. I thought they must be so sad to be there and then they tell me that they are so grateful. As I listen to the others chime in and offer their thanks, I think to myself, “I, too,  am so grateful to be here today.”

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