A Taste of Home........lessness

Thursday of this week, I was supposed to meet Sherie at 11:30ish at her building so that we could get to work demolishing walls. I had just picked up Jacob from camp. Our pastor and his son, Sam drove up beside us as we drove through town and we rolled down our window to chat. You can do that in a small town. It was decided that Sam would come work, too. So now I had my four little kids, Sam & Sophie.

We had gone through McDonald's and grabbed some burgers before Sam arrived (but no fries or drinks, so that money could go into the Smile Train jar, which now has $183.50 in it).

We park, get out of the car and then me, five kids and one infant in a stroller go across the street to the building on the corner, across from the courthouse on the main street in town, by city hall, the post office, the newspaper -- you get the idea. It's the MAIN part of our little town.

We are dressed in what can only be accurately described as wannabe rags. If you could see how disgusting this building is, you would understand why I didn't care what they looked like as long as they were in disposable clothing. Nothing they had on remotely matched.

I hadn't showered since the evening before when we finished working because I was just going to go get filthy again. So although I was clean I had serious bed head, to boot.

We have our one McDonald's sack, a jug of Kool-aid in a old juice bottle, a Wal-Mart sack with snacks and another plastic sack holding Sophie's diapers and such. No way am I taking a real diaper bag in there. It's around 11:45 as we approach the door....which is locked.

I called Sherie and she's running a tidge late, so the kids sit down on the sidewalk, leaning up against the building, facing the main street that goes through town, and begin to eat their lunch. Since I wasn't expecting Sam, they are all dividing up their burgers. Sophie doesn't want her fish sandwich I bought for her, so then three of them are splitting it and the two boys each eat half the bun. I've never seen so little food split so many ways.

After they were done eating, they decide to push Sophie around the block while we wait. Truthfully, it was very disconcerting and uncomfortable to be left alone, sitting on the sidewalk, in my ratty clothes, surrounded by my plastic sacks, Kool-aid and trash.

When I relayed all of this to Andi and Sherie later, they thought the situation was hilarious. Me -- not so much.

I'm sure that many people who drove by knew us - but I'm just as sure that many people didn't and I've got to tell you, I was expecting someone to offer me money at any minute.