Elf, Grinch, and cow - oh my!
The holiday season brings about many feelings for many people - but for me I generally enjoy it. Work slows down, lights go up, classic movies are aplenty, and this Christmas - Tim's elf costume is donned, Tyler agreed to be the Grinch, and Chad's Christmas cow ugly sweater...still not sure what a cow has to do with Christmas but that's Chad. I knew I had tapped the right volunteer to play the Grinch when Tyler asked "how long do I have to wear it?" Once he saw the joy the kids got from him being there in the costume I think "his heart grew three sizes that day."
The holidays also present opportunities to catch up with family we don't normally see. I'm excited to see my sister and her family this week and get time with my folks. We have a weird tradition of secretly giving someone a serving spoon as their dinner spoon and seeing how long it takes them to notice.
I'm also reminded of something Jesus says "Who is my family? Those who do the will of God are my family." I'm blessed enough to have three families: the family I was born into, the family I was reborn into who partner with me to do the will of God, and the residents at the SCM site.
The best way I can describe how I feel is like Jesus through a parable:
One day a man was seeking something he lost in his house. He searched high and low and as he stretched his hand under the bed to feel for it, he felt a square box. As he explored it with his hand he heard what sounded like the crinkling of paper. He pulled it out and indeed it was a neatly wrapped gift. He didn't remember hiding a gift under the bed but as he unwrapped it he found inside another box neatly wrapped just as the first. This went on two more times and then the final box held a treasure so valuable and pleasing that he set it on his mantle above his favorite spot above the fireplace where he spent much of his time just so he could sit and stare at it for hours.
Meaning of the parable: the man wasn't looking for a valuable treasure but by actively searching he found something unexpected and it thrilled him so much he put it in a place where he could take delight in it all day long. YOU, my brothers and sisters in this crazy SCM journey are this treasure to me! I have seen sides of you I have not seen since knowing you these last 16 years - a side that longs for something authentic & loving that makes impact- and it is beautiful and I delight in it each SCM event; the residents are also this treasure to me in that as the year went on I felt as though I was unwrapping another box inside a box and getting closer to the heart; I am only now beginning to understand the delight each one is to myself and God who created them.
Thank you so much to our close friends at Hope Vibes who joined us as always to provide showers and laundry - this year could not have been made possible without you guys and we are grateful!
DJ Adrian Reid "The Beatbox Kid" returned for round 2 of spinning fun holiday tunes and had people dancing on the balcony level. Also welcome back Raul the barber who cleaned up another 15 guys - and also brought his 1980's Monte Carlo SS - great memory from my childhood.
The SCM doesn't happen without your support - if your group would like to host a weekend or if you know of a business owner who might like to join us to offer their services or products, contact us and we'll get back with you ASAP.
Feeling left out? Don't! Meet us at the Street Corner on January 7th. See you there!
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