Gators @ GA, Gators @ FSU, SEC Championship, Bucs @ Falcons, Jason Mraz, Falcons Celebrity FootBowl, double civic duty, Thanksgiving... family in town, Devon in town, lunch with Chris, DJ's birthday, Julie's birthday, kickball, Softball game at Turner Field, Marc Broussard, Santa pub crawl, JFSJ trip to Tampa, Cirque de Soleil... wait that's next year!
Check my photos! December isn't over and I have 16 albums from these two months!
Speaking of photos... I have moved to Picasaweb. I'll be linking from shanispace.com/photos, but the good will be stored there. Also I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D80. Still learning how to use it, but already in love!
As a Jew, Christmas has a different meaning to me. It's not at all religious, but as an American, it's part of my culture. I don't get offended when someone wishes me a Merry Christmas or asks me what I did. In fact, this year, I have had the most complicated answer of all...
A group of 15 Jews from Atlanta and another from New York gathered in Tampa and volunteered at Metropolitan Ministries and Joshua House. Both are local charities.
Metropolitan Ministries does several things. They have residences, a converted hotel where selected families live communally, attend classes, have access to therapy and their kids have access to school. It has a two month waiting list and is designed to get people back on their feet. When they leave the Ministries, they help with transitional housing and keep up with the families at the families' discretion.
They also cook over 2,000 meals a day that are distributed throughout the city. For special occasions, they set up a tent and feed the homeless and provide boxes of food, toys and clothes. Unlike other places that have prepared boxes, they allow the homeless and nearly homeless to "shop" for items based on the size of their family so they only get things they like and will consume. Maintaining dignity is one of their main goals.
Sunday we worked at Joshua House, a campus of homes for abused and neglected children. In the morning we took down the Christmas decorations (ironic, no?) and in the afternoon had a crazy game of kickball with the kids.
One thing I learned: even those less fortunate than me are intelligent and strong-willed. Help is not holistically appreciated, but for the most part people were happy we were there.
There is nothing like doing good to help you appreciate the things in your life. I come home humbled and grateful.