A night in the rain

I walked out into the rain, into the cold, into a sea of mostly men. There is a cover above part of the parking lot but it is a sun cover to protect people from the summer rays.  It is not waterproof in the slightest.  I look down at the ground.  It is soaked and there are large puddles forming everywhere.  My sleeping bag will be of little use because it will instantly get wet.  I will most likely have to stand the whole night to stay dry or squat.  And while I have layers of clothing on, I am starting to get cold.  I was counting on that sleeping bag to stay warm. Still I will be all right. We are allowed to leave here anytime; we just can’t get back in tonight if we do.

I look around and only about half of the people around me are as well prepared as me.  A few better, most worse.  How are they all going to make it through the night?  I’m shocked that I don’t hear about homeless deaths every morning on the news.  Maybe they just aren’t newsworthy.

Excerpt from “Homeless Hero – Understanding the Soul of Home” ~ Mike Tapscott