falling for it despite myself

I don't often talk the work I am involved with at an agency level - the desire to keep that separate is important, yet at the same time, the magnitude of what we accomplish sometimes makes me feel all gooey inside.

We house hundreds of adults, families and kids at a time in assorted places and ways - and the holidays is an incredible push for us - a push to not only keep up with the colder weather, but to also try and infuse a bit of holiday specialness (as much as is possible given the circumstances). Every year we match community donors with clients or groups of clients to make sure everyone has something...kids fill out wish lists and get toys and clothes, adults get more practical stuff or gift cards to buy what they need.

It's no small feat to make sure that every single person is accounted for (especially in a population that can change day by day). We have a small group of staff who take on this extra charge and convert an entire warehouse into a staging area, keeping the flow going and the gifts coming and sorted and separated and back out to our programs.

Some of the more beautiful parts is how the gift is offered - women who come together in sewing circles to sew baby blankets and scarves and bed covers, with their personal tags and flairs, or the donations from other children - with personal notes attached in child crayola speak that is humbling and precious all at once.

For all my humbugery about the said holiday spirit - I am quite the sucker for it when I see it in action. I plan to take M over to spread a little toddler joy at one of the shelters on Monday - one can never start introducing your child early enough to some of the most beautiful people on earth.