during this time of good cheer and christmas spirit the homeless do not vanish. they are still there. they too will be experiencing christmas. they will share in the dinners and lunches provided by various organizations. they will be among many people experiencing the same struggle as they are, but for a brief time they will be able to put aside that struggle and sit with strangers who are somehow for the moment kindred spirits. they too will enjoy a wonderful christmas meal in a joyful environment. at missions and shelters across the country, the children will also wake christmas morning to a bevy of gifts and presents provided by a different sort of santa. the santa that provides these gifts do so out of compassion and love for their fellow human beings and the children who are caught in homelessness. for this morning, they will forget their anxieties and they will no longer wonder if santa will find them at the mission. they will know for that morning that there is indeed a santa clause. they too will laugh, smile and squeal with delight when they open their gifts. their faces will light up with joy, as they should on this glorious mornings. their mothers will smile, anxiously, gratefully...thankful that someone provided their child with christma during this difficult time. some will shed a small tear of thankfulness and relieved gratitude.
as christmas winds down and everyone is beginning to relax and review the days events, the homeless will return to their routine. the nite will settle on them and they too will review the day. some will settle down in their tents and think of christmas past. some will sleep in a mission and restlessly turn in their bed as they think of families long lost and sons and daughters long separated. for others it will be just another day....another day of surviving, struggling and wondering. the children will fall asleep thinking of the toys and gifts they received. some will relish the ideal of being able to wear that new dress or new pair of jeans or those brand new sneakers and for a time they will too will be able to walk with pride into their schools. but in the morning....when the sun comes up and another day begins....the reality of homelessness will reappear for many of them. christmas, in all its wonder and dreams and promises of new beginnings of hope, won't change the lives of the homeless. they will still be there. they will still be wondering and waiting and hoping. but for that one day and that one nite....there will be a santa claus for them all.
this christmas, for a moment, think of the homeless and say a small prayer for them. wish them peace and love and joy. think of the children and wish them all a merry and joyful christmas. wish them love.
to all the homeless men, women and especially children, i wish them love, peace, comfort and joy. merry christmas to all. and to all a good nite
see you around town