This fall has afforded an opportunity that I have truly missed. I have been able again to share at churches, events and community gatherings as was normal in 2019 and before. At several events I have been blessed with heartwarming meetings of those connected to Love in Action. The first was a kind person who, after I spoke briefly in her church’s service, approached me to share that she had been homeless and without resources years before. Love in Action had provided food, clothing and a variety of other opportunities and she just wanted me to know since we had not yet met. At my next stop a Providence Place resident came by my booth to share some encouragement and just to connect. And most recently, while sharing a bit about Love in Action at yet another church, I looked out and saw one of our Harbor Hall residents welcoming me to sit next to him when I had finished speaking.
As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, the concept and the feeling of home always seems to mean even more to us than in other seasons. I love the sense of home I receive in these brief encounters. I hope they build into a community that feels like home to more of us. Love in Action is not just a place where resources are provided. It is a network of people who connect and adhere to each other, who recognize each other on street corners and in grocery stores and who welcome each other into their lives. This year, through Love in Action, you have helped provide hundreds of thousands of pounds of food, hundreds of medical solutions and tens of thousands of nights of shelter. But in regards to these services I hear St. Paul resounding in my ears, without love we are a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I would love to think we are making the Tri-Cities more of a loving home for all of us. Thanks for all you do and for your generous donations!