Elemental

I was in a dead sleep when the thunder boomed early this morning. My original, half-sleep deprived thoughts led me in two directions: Either all my fears stemming from Red Dawn were coming true or I was trapped in a Garth Brooks video. The former was preferable to the later.

But, after I gained enough consciousness to realize the interruption to my slumber was nothing more than a thunder storm, I began to drift back to dreamland because I still had another hour before my alarm was poised to ruin my day. The rain was falling against the window and a rhythmic pattern of drops on the glass was ushering me back to a wonderful place when a rogue thought somehow pushed its way to the front of the line and wouldn't allow me to rewrite the Steelers-Packers Super Bowl from a couple years ago.

Thunder = Rain = Everything gets wet.

Now, this is not rocket science, and normally the weather is not chief amongst my daily thoughts. I only really notice it when it refuses to accommodate me or causes some level of inconvenience. But these instances are rare and the last time I was truly angry at the rain gods was when I went camping and was forced to set up the site while the skies opened around me and decided I needed to build some character. And, in spite of my annoyed demeanor, in the scope of human history this ranked right between 'insignificant' and 'are you seriously going to complain about this.' It's all a matter of perspective and getting wet was not that big a deal because I simply hopped back in the car and waited the storm out.

But this morning, at god-awful o'clock, another thought hit me: what happens if a person can't elude the rain and all their possessions get soaked. Many of our residents come to Samaritan House directly from living outside and this is not a hypothetical for them. I see a rain cloud on the horizon and I enjoy its deep shades and hues of purple and gray. A homeless person sees the same cloud and sees potential for catching a cold or having all their belongings drenched, which leads to mildew, which leads to illness. It's not an 'apples and oranges' situation...its more like apples and rotten apples.

So, my appeal is that some of you would consider donating rain gear or ponchos that we can hand out. Rain coats and boots are always in demand and plastic sheets or tarps work well and we can distribute them to people who don't have the luxury of camping in the rain. Rather, they are faced with the reality of living in it.