Covenant House Vancouver

From our Crisis Shelter Manager...

I can't say I was thrilled to be working Christmas morning. I had a rushed gift opening session with my own kids and ran out the door to work as my wife, realizing that everything that had just been unwrapped also had to be assembled, glared at me. I spent the entire commute missing things.....the phone calls from far off family members....special food that seemed to be everywhere, and I dreaded the time I was missing with my kids...the things I would miss while I was away.

When I got to the shelter...the scene was quite different than the one I left.......oh there was still the wrapping paper mess and lots of new stuff laying around.....but rather than the "sense of high expectation's that were met" with the unwrapping of gifts that were in essence expected.....this scene was marked by a sense of awe.....the kids were more overwhelmed with things that were in no way expected......some of them were very emotional at not having a family around at Christmas and others were overwhelmed at the realization that, in fact, they did have a family around them at Christmas......one they never expected....

I had one message left in my work mail box to pick up when I went into work that day...it simply said....Thanks for letting me be inside for Christmas........

I stopped feeling bad about what I was missing.....