Walking around in our Ugg boots, Vans, Air Jordan 1 sneakers, or whatever favorite shoes happen to be warming our feet today, there’s probably something we don’t think too often about…the socks that keep our feet so cozy!
How many would consider socks to be a valuable item?
Last Saturday, several teens and adults from St. Anthony’s walked the streets of Portland to deliver care packages made by the Youth Group the previous week. These packages consisted of many items including toiletries, snack bars, hats, socks, scarves, and gloves. (Thanks to the Parish for so many generous donations!) Toting a red wagon full of brightly colored packages and carrying several shopping bags of presents as well, we set off to hand them out to anyone that wanted one.
Our encounter with the homeless was almost immediate. As people eyed our packages we offered them happily with a “Merry Christmas!” as we gave several away. They were so grateful and pleasantly surprised that we had come just to give presents to them.
We met various types of people on our trip. Some we visited with at their “dwelling”; a bed of blankets on the sidewalk. Some we chatted with at the Blanchet House (soup kitchen), or the Sisters of the Road Café (café that serves inexpensive meals). Others we met on the streets as we made our way around Burnside. Everyone had their own story to tell and it really hit home the message which we sometimes forget: the homeless are regular people too and they deserve as much love and dignity as anyone else.
All of us who experienced this trip came back with a deeper understanding of Jesus’ call to help those in need. After seeing several of the shelters and soup kitchens in the area, many teens wanted to come back to volunteer some time at these places.
With everyone we met, the one question they kept asking was, “Do you have any socks?” By the third or forth time this was asked I began to realize how important socks were to a homeless person. How come I never realized that before? Socks are used everyday and can get worn out fairly fast. Socks keep the feet warm which keeps the body warm. Socks are a big deal!
Sometimes we take the littlest things for granted. Sometimes we want so many materialistic items that we loose sight of how much the little things in our lives give us so much comfort. So don’t forget to thank God for all the wonderful blessings in your life! We have much to be appreciative of!
Lord help us to live simply, so that others may simply live.
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