A very small guilt trip to start my week

Once I managed to get my breast milk to come in, May started refusing all bottles and formula. Christopher and I decided to clear out our pantry this weekend and we're donating the 2 quarts of premade formula along with the giant 1 pound box of powdered formula. In my quest to find someone to take it, I stumbled on this website: Horizons For Homeless Children.

Turns out that about half a million kids between birth and 5 will be homeless at some point during any give year. 80,000 in the Commonwealth alone this year. And oh lord did that make me feel small and petty for fretting about how many pairs of shoes May has. (Four that fit, in case you're curious.)

They have a list of things that they urgently need and a list of things they always need. What I found interesting was that under the urgent list was arts and crafts supplies. It made sense once I thought about it: Kids need to paint and play regardless of their straights. In fact, I'm guessing that they need the creative outlet more if they are really messed up. And homelessness can't be good for any one's brain.

So I'm taking a moment and adding a few other things to the box that I plan to drop off at Horizon later this week. May has seventeen blankets and she doesn't need them all. Christopher got a much nicer cordless drill for Christmas so our old one is getting donated.

So that was my start to the week. A little of a downer but it made me particularly thankful for what we've got: among other things, an amazing and generous set of family and friends. Plus, you know, a house. Money. A job.