Captivated Me

At this very moment, I’m sitting on a couch in my parent’s (heated) basement wearing my comfiest sweatpants and a couple of layered thermals. I have on fleece-lined wool socks – new from Christmas – and there are at least five large, warm blankets within my immediate reach. There’s coffee a-brewin’ upstairs, and it’s very likely that I’ll make more than one cup of hot cocoa today.

In about an hour, I’ll bundle up even more – hats, scarves, gloves, boots, an extra layer of socks and pants, a fleece jacket liner, and my big winter coat – and in my (heated) car I’ll make way to the airport with my dad to drop him off there. Then, I’ll head home and return to my cozy, snuggly state of being. In total, I might spend maybe 3-4 minutes in the bitter -24 degree (but feels like -44 degree) temperatures.

You can see where I’m going here, and let me say without pretense that this is not a thought meant to guilt-trip anyone into feeling horrible about the blessings of shelter they’ve been given. What I means is that on a personal level it unfortunately takes days like today for me to truly realize just how much of a blessing that shelter is. If you have it, please take a few extra moments to appreciate it, and you don’t have to stop there. I wholeheartedly believe that the blessings we have are meant to overflow from us and be shared with the world – even in small, seemingly simple ways. This guy gives a good, practical tip or two about how to reach out to men, women, and little ones who lack shelter from this cold:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2014/01/04/how-to-help-the-homeless-when-it-gets-this-cold/

Stay warm, my friends.