J.

I've been volunteering at Trinity Center for going on 4 years now.

My Wednesdays at Trinity are my tether. No matter what else is going on in my world, I know on Wednesdays and there will be hugs, stories, jokes, and surprises.

There are sad surprises, like when someone I haven't seen in months, comes in again, but this time they are using, or off their medication, or ill. That happened today and I can't stop thinking about it. This person did all the right things, got job training, had some help, but in the end, it wasn't enough. She's back on the streets.

Something else happened today, too. J. who mostly ignores me, who walks in circles around the tables, hardly says anything at all, who usually looks past me, or seems frightened of me, came right up to me and said, "Have you eaten lunch today? Would you like some crackers?"

It was a big moment, trust me on this.

Now, I can fret and worry that there is no answer for many of the homeless. Many slip through the cracks over and over, they don't get mental health care, or they don't meet the qualifications for available programs. Or, I can remember what our former priest said, "Our job isn't to fix them, we just love them as they are."

Sometimes it doesn't feel like enough.