Sad lonely and rain

I love the rain…
Maybe it brings back memories of being in a cabin at camp…
The rain pounding on the tin roof making beautiful music.
Or perhaps it is the memory of growing up in Florida living through the many hurricanes that hit the east coast.
Or perhaps its the soothing feeling I get from a spring rain...
Like I said I love the rain.


It's been raining for the last three days.  It has been a hard, cold constant rain.  But I'm ok…
I've got a big house with a big TV, food in the frig, a warm bed, running water - hot and cold.
I have an assortment of cold drinks I can choose from, and even hot Chai Latte Tea that my Keurig coffee maker will make in 30 seconds.
Yes I love the rain…


This past Saturday I decided to visit one of the many homeless camps along the Cumberland River. The hard rain had calmed down to a light drizzle…
The path to the camp was wet and slick and the water coming off the hill had subsided for a minute filling the gully one has to cross before coming into the camp.


Standing on the bridge over the gully made from old pallets was my friend Papa Smurf  - coffee in hand…
His usual up-beat greeting was no where in sight…


He was hearing voices…
and looking up the gully -
to find where they were coming from…
He told me that he thought he was going crazy…


I checked the woods and no one was there…


"Mother Nature is kicking my ass." he told me.
"You are the only one who has visited me today" he offered.
We stood and talked continuing to look into the woods for the source of "the voices".


He was sad… and lonely.


I asked him if he wanted to hang with me for a while as I had some places I need to go - "we could get some lunch" I offered.
He declined.
"I'm just going to stay here… got to find out where those voices are coming from."


It was chilly and I was glad to see that he had a thick wool coat on.
When I hugged him before my departure, I felt that his coat was soaking wet.
Everything was wet and covered with fallen leaves.
Looking down I saw that his boots were falling apart and his toes were coming out of the front.


"Come on lets get out of here" I offered again…
"My car is warm, we will get some lunch…"
He took a swig of his coffee and declined my offer again.
I hugged him again and left to go back into the comfort of my home in Bellevue.


Smurf needs a new pair of work type boots… and a water resistant warm coat.   We will have it for him in the next few days.  Because that is what we do…


I walked away sad that day.
I was sad leaving him, alone, wet and cold…
I was sad for the hundreds of homeless on our streets that nasty weekend - Hunger, cold and weather all kicking their lives into survival mode. 
I was sad that we could not do more…

After I left Smurf, I did my running around town and retreated to my home. I couldn't shake the image of Smurf on the make shift bridge -looking to see where the voices were coming from.
  
That night the rain intensified - torrents of water rushed down the streets, and I knew that the tarps and tents a the camp were being tested, ripped and drenched in the rain...
and the 6 people at the camp were huddled together trying to keep warm and dry - waiting for the light of day and perhaps some sunshine in their life.

Smurf will get some new boots and a weather proof jacket… but that leaves 5 others in the camp that need the same…
He needs large tarps to replaced the old and ripped tarps covering his common area.  They need a heater - then as the winter comes in they will need weekly fuel for that stove…  
They need  - They need  - They need…


Perhaps in the near future with help from Open Table - and Room at the Inn…  People like Smurf will find the help needed to get their out of the dirt - and for this weekend - the mud.

It still saddens me...

Thank you for listening…
JR