Just Another Friday...

Papers are sitting unattended. They clutter my desk, but I'm too interested in the slow ticks of the clock to notice. Summer is finally here. Warmth, or what passes for warmth on a May day in Michigan, is beckoning from the front office picture window. That large light in the sky, that it seems I haven't seen in months, is smiling benignly on the world below. A sunny Friday afternoon. Is there anything sweeter? Anything with more promise? All the weekend potential for relaxation and fellowship with family and friends is building with every slow tick of the clock. Any minute that tick will be the last tick, and I'll gather my things and head for home.

But all the weekend happiness is always bittersweet, when you know that even when you lock your office door and get into you beat-up old car, the realization remains that life at the Mission continues day-in and day-out. For too many the days melt together into one long stretch of growing frustration and despair. They don't have all their paperwork. The landlord couldn't wait any longer and rented the apartment to somebody else. Grandma can't put up you and the kids because she doesn't have room, or she can't put up anyone because she stays in an assisted-living facility. The first check you'd planned on doesn't come until next week.

And what would I do if it were I? If I were the one staring at another denial letter. Or facing the fact that the groceries are almost gone and the paycheck just can't stretch to cover another week of breakfast, lunches, and dinners. I guess I would go the Mission and hope to see a friendly face. So we do what we can with what the Lord provides through the donations of compassionate groups and individuals.

And we take care of the paperwork and come back on Monday and do it all over again. We can't do everything, but we do what we can with the best that is in us. After all, that's all we're asked to do.