everyday is a journey.
Twas doing nothing was his curse—
Is there a vice can plague us worse?
The wretch who digs the mine for bread,
Or plows, that others may be fed,
Feels less fatigue than that decreed
To him who cannot think, or read.
Not all the peril of temptations,
Not all the conflict of the passions,
Can quench the spark of Glory's flame,
Or quite extinguish Virtue's name.
This project has been in progress for over 5 1/2 months. A lot of work went into all of this. A lot of collecting, cutting into strips and rolling these plastic bags into what we call plarn. The next step consists of crocheting these plastic strips of plarn into a sleeping mat for the homeless. A lot of begging for plastic grocery bags from all of my friends and family. Yes, you heard me right, I was begging.
I have to admit, I was a little scared at first. I'm not really good at meeting people for the first time, especially ones who are so different from me. And we are different from each other. The last thing I wanted to do is come off unfeeling, uncaring about their situation. I've never had to face in life what they are experiencing. It could be easily mishandled by me if I'm not careful. I'm not here to embarrass anyone. I'm here to serve them.
Matthew 25:34-46Modern English Version (MEV)
34 “Then the King will say to those at His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in. 36 I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’
One in blue.
One in mostly white.
One of many colors.
White with red.
One with many streaks.
One with black stripes.
We decided on choosing a homeless facility that dealt with large numbers. We were able to find one by accident actually, while speaking with a friend at work. She wanted to know what I intended to do with all these plastic bags I was collecting. One thing led to another and BAM, we had a shelter.
The day before the delivery, once again, we had to make sudden changes. The shelter we chose wasn't accepting anymore mats at this time. I have to admit, I felt a bit defeated and the devil began creeping in. Negative thoughts evaded my mind, telling me how ugly these mats were and no one wanted them. I began praying for God to find a home somewhere for them, a shelter that could really use them. We ended up choosing a shelter we have donated to many times before and I'm glad. When we went there, people were filing in for breakfast, children included.
I want to thank my partner in crime, Cindy, for helping me with this project's delivery and distribution. I am grateful that she was with me to help maneuver around the many, many city's closed streets and construction. Without her knowledge of the area, I would have been circling in despair. I am also grateful for the many volunteers throughout all the shelters in the fifty states that take the time to serve others.
Have a blessed day everyone.
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