Fall

I am sitting at the office completely unmotivated to do any of the crap that is sitting in front of me. I have a blueprint of the new office we are moving to and I am supposed to be marking it up and making sure all of our supplies, equipment, etc. are organized and accessible. But I don’t want to. Let’s just throw it all in a corner. I will figure it out later.
This past Friday, I finally got a kitten and I named him Ace. You can see a picture here, or here. Or how about here?

The weather outside is starting to cool off and every time this happens, I can’t help but think about all the kids that are going to need new clothes for the winter. There are so many families that need warm food to put on the table every night, but they struggle just to keep their electricity on. There are people who are stuck in a vicious cycle who live on the streets. They can’t get a job because they don’t have an address for their W-4s. They don’t have the money to look nice for an interview. And they will be sleeping outside trying to stay warm with blankets that are falling apart. Socks that haven’t been washed. Shoes that are insufficient for the crappy Oklahoma weather. The end of the school semester will be here soon and kids are going to need new school supplies to carry them through the rest of the year. There are kids in high school wanting to further their education but they have no idea where the money will come from. Money for those damn expensive books that may or may not even get opened for the class.
I always really start thinking about these things when it starts getting cold because this is the time of the year that I left to spend my time in Philadelphia. And once you spend time with people who are stuck in such bad circumstances, you can’t help but be compassionate. You are changed, hopefully for the rest of your life.
These things have been heavy on my heart for the past week. I was talking (way too much) about it all to a friend yesterday. In the middle of my tangent, I told her that it’s incredible how cathartic it is for all individuals involved when it comes to volunteering time and money. The relationships you have the opportunity to build and the stories you can share and hear… it’s all just so…. I don’t even know the words for it. It’s incredible. Those of us who try to reach out and help, a lot of the times think that they are there to help people. They are going to be the ones making a difference in someone else’s life. Honestly, that may happen. But the exact opposite happens as well. You go into a situation hoping the other person is changed and then, all of a sudden, something happens and you are never the same again. It’s amazing. It’s what I think the purpose as a community is. To help and love one another without passing judgment. Letting our guards down and becoming vulnerable. Unconditionally and unashamed.

If you live in the area and you are wanting to get involved in the community, you can head over to thistulsa.com and read about ways to help out. We are starting with a small project at Centennial Park and hopefully with time the projects will span many different areas of service. I’m pretty freaking excited.