Personal PC
I was thinking that I could really use one of those personal PC things. I'm not sure if a Blackberry will do the trick. Can you access websites on one of those ... or just email? The thing is I think of some really great stuff to write about when I'm in the car or out and about somewhere but by the time I get to a computer I get sidetracked and lose track of what I had on my mind earlier. So I think a personal PC could really be of benefit to you the reader. FYI ... Christmas is day after tomorrow.
Speaking of Christmas, my team at work was responsible for collecting coats, gloves, hats, etc. to be donated to a homeless shelter in Dallas. On Wednesday we had a sales meeting in the morning and then gathered all the clothing and went to the shelter to drop it off. We went to a place called the Day Resource Center in downtown Dallas. Until you see it, it's hard to believe how these people live. This shelter is for what they call "chronicly homeless" which means that most of the people there have some sort of mental illness that keeps them from operating in a way to better their lives and get themselves in proper housing or they are just so far gone that there is almost no possible way of recovery. Most of these people have been kicked out of privately funded shelters or shelters run by religious organizations. The reasons for this range from violence, to cursing, to dealing and/or using drugs. So the shelter we were at had the worst of the worst. It's hard enough to know and see some of the conditions they live in, but heartbreaking to know they will most likely never change or veer from the paths they are on. I applaud those who commit time or even make it their livelihood to help these people. I don't think there is a job there I could do without absolutely losing it. The manager of the shelter was a wonderful man that has a real deep affection and a soft spot in his heart for these people. He was homeless at a point in his life and was eventually rehabilitated in this shelter and now has the opportunity to offer help to others who desperately need it but generally refuse it. I spend most of my days around people that for the most part are very much like myself. We come from similar backgrounds, line up fairly well socio-economically speaking, and are able to generally understand what the other person goes through day to day. In this situation though I felt as if I was in a foreign country. It's hard to imagine what life is like for these people and impossible to truly understand. On the one hand is was a nice feeling to give of ourselves and help these people but as we left it was hard not to think that in the grand scheme of things we were really doing nothing. There were needs we could never meet and it makes you feel helpless knowing that's the case. At the least I hope I will always remember what it felt like walking into that place and always know that I am blessed beyond what I can see or know.
So a Merry Christmas to whomever may be reading tonight. I hope to see and/or talk to some of you very soon. Until then ...
Speaking of Christmas, my team at work was responsible for collecting coats, gloves, hats, etc. to be donated to a homeless shelter in Dallas. On Wednesday we had a sales meeting in the morning and then gathered all the clothing and went to the shelter to drop it off. We went to a place called the Day Resource Center in downtown Dallas. Until you see it, it's hard to believe how these people live. This shelter is for what they call "chronicly homeless" which means that most of the people there have some sort of mental illness that keeps them from operating in a way to better their lives and get themselves in proper housing or they are just so far gone that there is almost no possible way of recovery. Most of these people have been kicked out of privately funded shelters or shelters run by religious organizations. The reasons for this range from violence, to cursing, to dealing and/or using drugs. So the shelter we were at had the worst of the worst. It's hard enough to know and see some of the conditions they live in, but heartbreaking to know they will most likely never change or veer from the paths they are on. I applaud those who commit time or even make it their livelihood to help these people. I don't think there is a job there I could do without absolutely losing it. The manager of the shelter was a wonderful man that has a real deep affection and a soft spot in his heart for these people. He was homeless at a point in his life and was eventually rehabilitated in this shelter and now has the opportunity to offer help to others who desperately need it but generally refuse it. I spend most of my days around people that for the most part are very much like myself. We come from similar backgrounds, line up fairly well socio-economically speaking, and are able to generally understand what the other person goes through day to day. In this situation though I felt as if I was in a foreign country. It's hard to imagine what life is like for these people and impossible to truly understand. On the one hand is was a nice feeling to give of ourselves and help these people but as we left it was hard not to think that in the grand scheme of things we were really doing nothing. There were needs we could never meet and it makes you feel helpless knowing that's the case. At the least I hope I will always remember what it felt like walking into that place and always know that I am blessed beyond what I can see or know.
So a Merry Christmas to whomever may be reading tonight. I hope to see and/or talk to some of you very soon. Until then ...
posted by Craig at 9:32 PM
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