[SykkBoy]

I got an internal warmth that comes from helping others.
My kids were with their mother this Christmas (forgive me for being bitter about missing my youngest daughter's first real Christmas and calling my wife a cunt ;-)) so instead of wallowing in self-pity like I had planned to do, I went down to the Shadetree shelter and helped serve Christmas dinner to lot of hungry families. I've missed going there the last year or so, but one thing that was different this year was the number of volunteers. The last time I volunteered there, there were maybe 20-25 people, this year, there were closer to 50. Many brought gifts with them as well as much needed blankets, toiletries and warm clothing.

I hear talk all the time about how lazy these people can be, etc. but these are not the ones standing at the freeway onramps with signs. Some of these are single-mother families who were forced out either by spousal violence or losing the jobs they had. It's amazing how many of these single mothers want to work and have problems with getting work cards required at most casinos here (health cards, sheriff's cards, etc.).

The warm, smiling faces I saw there really made me realize that I was making a difference, even if it was a small one, to some people who were a little down on their luck and not the welfare warriors of legend. Seeing these children, who were the age of my children, being appreciative of these small tokens of help just really hit me.

So, while I intended to get all pissy about what a rough Holiday I was going to have, I realized I have it luckier than a lot of people out there and that just by doing something as simple as helping cook up a couple turkeys, I could make a world of difference to some families.

...and I also got socks, lots of socks...