This is Thanksgiving this week, so the theme for this week will be, Grateful. Magdalene’s Mission was grateful for the donations we had this week. Julie G and her team put together 40 or so backpacks filled with everything we could ask for to help our fellow humans. We had a bounty of blankets, thanks to my beloved friends, Chelsea Woods and the unstoppable, Cathy Mazur. I even made hot cocoa because I know it’s getting cold out.
The city was already pitch night by the time Traci and I got to Detroit. We drove up and down the boulevards with our stoic street outreach co-volunteers. This weeks special guest was a veterinarian. A lot of homeless dogs partner up with homeless people. Cats are always important to keep nearby as well. They protect us from vermin.
We found a tarp tied to a fence. A person was living under it. We went to a box laying beside the expressway. The person who lived in it wasn’t home. We checked on the guy who built a genius fortress inside the buttress beneath a bridge on the expressway. He wasn’t home, but it was cool to show it off to some of the new volunteers. We helped a man with crutch. He lived in an abandoned house. He was extremely grateful to own a flashlight.
We had to see my Grandma Lady. She isn’t doing well, health wise again. Traci took care of several people while we waited for her to be treated.
While we were waiting, I got to my Mama Bear! She looked better than I have seen her in years. She was out of rehab, She was grateful for a clean and sober mind. She looked like was taking care of herself. She had roses on her cheeks, and beads on her wrists. She was all smiles.
The next stop was so awesome. I got to see that pit bull puppy I gave Ripley’s leash to last week. I don’t know why I didn’t notice before, but she only has three legs. She remembered me! We cuddled and snuggled for a few minutes. Her person needed to spend some time with the medical team, so I told him I would keep her safe until he was done. I ended up letting her warm up in the front seat of my car for a while until he was done, and the medical team was trying to leave. She looked up at me with her shiny gold eyes. We love one another so very much. That’s her picture at the top of he report.
We found a few more people who we were glad to help. We made a few new friends, and ran into a few old ones. A young man asked me to please pray over him. I did. For a grand finale, I got to see my Widow who sits. She’s living in an abandoned vehicle right now. It’s better than some of the other places she’s been since I met her. She has as much unlimited resilience as she does pure sweetness. I love her, too. We are both grateful for our friendship.
I am grate for Traci, and how she is all-in for Magdalene’s Mission. She’s never ready to give up. She doesn’t give up on the Mission, or on our homeless friends on the street of Detroit. And she doesn’t give up on me, either.
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit.
Amen.
