Do we tend to complain when life gets tough?
Most definitely the answer is “Yes.” We share our thoughts about the inconveniences and challenges we face each day with our friends and loved ones. Who didn’t share a grievance with someone else about the inconveniences created by the temperatures plunging below zero during the arctic blast that settled in over the last couple weeks?
We all have made some adjustments to allow for the discomfort of the cold. Long johns, sweaters, wool socks, winter gloves, hats, thick coats, and extra blankets emerged from storage and took their place as critical tools for our comfort and survival.
Firewood was collected and put to use to warm and light chilled living rooms. Our vehicles had to be warmed up ahead of time and if not garaged, the windshield ice scraper hunted down from the back corner of the closet.
Within a single day recently during the bitter cold snap, three different families shared their stories with me. These consisted of tales from the other side of frozen, pictures of survival within an extremely frozen landscape.
Hazel, a mother of three teenagers, sat down with me for a chat and shared nonchalantly about her recent days. Without coloring her view with self-pity, she explained that the family had spent the week confined to one room in their home because they could not afford to heat a larger area.
They live in an older house and are in the midst of a long term goal to fix it up with new windows and better insulation. Their household income dedicated to housing is targeted toward paying the mortgage with little left over for remodeling efforts.
Hazel works part time and her husband has a full time job. Hazel’s home fits their needs quite well in the summer, however, right now there are icicles inside the house on the windows. In the unheated rooms of the house, there is a skim of frosty ice on the furniture and bedding.
She said, “It’s just like in the movie where Jack Frost pays you a visit and transforms all of the rooms with his frosty touch.” Hazel used a hairdryer to release the ice from her front door in order to leave the house and visit our agency that day.
Her demeanor was calm and composed and she appeared fully capable of applying the necessary survival skills to maintain a healthy home even under these difficult conditions.
In another instance, three adults drove up in a van. They were totally out of food. I learned that their housing consisted of living in their vehicle. Although employed, they explained all their cash was being funneled into paying for fuel to keep the van running so they could stay warm.
And another, Wyatt is living in a camper trailer. I asked if he had limitations to cooking and storing food. His reply was, “More limitations than I can begin to tell you about.”
I realized as our conversation progressed that he lacked the funds to pay for utilities to heat his home or cook his food. He did have the capability to store perishable frozen food outside. He mentioned that out of curiosity he tested out a laser pointer thermometer in his living area.
Wyatt pointed it at the floor of his trailer and it read 24 degrees. His dog’s water bowl could not stay liquid and was frozen solid inside his home. Wyatt survives wearing multiple layers of coats and huddles under blankets.
While driving home that evening, a song entitled, “Give Me Your Eyes” by Brandon Health and Jason Ingram came on the radio. The lyrics struck me to the core: “Give me Your eyes for just one second, Give me Your eyes so I can see, Everything that I keep missing, Give me Your love for humanity, Give me Your arms for the broken- hearted, The ones that are far beyond my reach, Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten, Give me Your eyes so I can see.”
I don’t have the answers to maneuvering around the issues of those struggling with homelessness and poverty. I often feel powerless to help out. I do believe if we are open to listening and hearing Him, that God moves our steps in the direction of engaging in acts of mercy and compassion.
God places situations, conversations, and encounters in our path. God ignites in our minds moments of insight by revealing his wisdom to us.
My prayer is to know where to begin, “Give me Your eyes so I can see.”
Janet Mills is the director of Cassville Pantry, located at 800 W. 10th St. in Cassville. She may be reached at cassvillepantry@ gmail.com or 417-846 7871.
