Christmas, Without the Cheer
Earlier today, tempers flared at our homeless drop-in center, and not for the first time this week. It was just after 9:30 a.m. when suddenly-raised voices broke the usual morning hum, as one client (“Jasper“) started to shout. “Stop trying to grab my stuff,” he yelled at “Dale,” another client. Dale burst out laughing. “I don’t want your crappy old stuff, Jasper!” I glanced into the room, saw in Jasper’s face his rising rage. Read More
May Memories of Sugarplums Dance In Their Heads
When I was in third grade, I lived in a pretty rural area and I walked to school. The curving road I took seemed endless and dull, so one day I created a shortcut through the orchard of a nearby farm. My path took me uphill, weaving between rows of olive trees and some other trees to which I never put a name. Read More
A Christmas Story Gone Horribly Wrong: Sometimes There Isn’t Even a Manger
This December 9th is the due date of a woman I will probably never meet. She lives (“lives”!? — “exists”) in a tarpaulin-tent in some woods behind a convenience store, in a Maryland town a few miles north of where I sit right now. Few of our clients are expectant women, but it’s not unheard of. Read More
The Saddest List I’ve Ever Seen
Walking past Bethesda Cares’ Drop-In Center’s check-in desk earlier today, I saw a brightly-colored notice seated among the baskets of toiletries and donated Hallowe’en candy. Pausing, I skimmed the new message: it was a sign-up sheet for a “holiday dinner.” I glanced at the list, and felt my heart sink… Read More
