THERE’S SNOW IN THE ATL!!

It’s 17 degrees here today in Atlanta, and feels like 2. We can’t get our cars up our steep driveway because it’s covered in ice. My camera (always sketchy) froze on yesterday’s date. And all across the country, there have been record snowfalls and freezes. Brrrrrrrrrr!

Okay, so now imagine that you’re homeless. Or you don’t have a winter coat because it doesn’t (usually) get cold where you live, or you just don’t have the money. Actually, I can’t imagine, but I do know we are called to do something about it – not by me, but by John the Baptist in the Bible:

3 jackets I found in 2 minutes.

And the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?”

He answered and said unto them, “He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none. And he that hath meat, let him do likewise.”

Okay, that’s pretty clear. So today I’m going to look in my closets, and dig out the coats that are no doubt sitting there, almost never used. I suspect we have half a dozen.

How many clothes does one person need?

And honestly, how many clothes does one person really need? (Lulu, don’t answer that.)

Then (if I can find a way to get out of my stupid driveway) I’m going to follow my computer’s advice and head for the nearest mission or shelter to drop them off (I called first to confirm that they’re accepting coats) — along with my daily donation of $100.  In my case, that would be the Atlanta Union Mission, at 2353 Bolton Rd. NW, Atlanta GA 30318. http://www.atlantaunionmission.org/

Atlanta Union Mission was started in the Great Depression (unlike this not-so-great one) and now serves as many as 1,070 men, women and children a day with emergency shelter, residential recovery and transitional housing. My $100 will pay for almost 40 meals — and since I’m sure they’ll be flooded with people in need, this is a good time to give. Almost every area has a mission or shelter so it’s pretty simple to find one near you, no matter where you live.

I like to think of somebody in need snuggling up in one of our coats on this bitterly cold day. It gives me a good warm feeling.