the snow has cometh

Alright...
I'm living in Middle Tennessee
not Minnesota
BUT
it did snow
and it did
get icy and
it is cold
and will
be cold again tonight.

I had no idea
that when such weather hits...
folks in this neck of the woods
rush to the store to
buy milk and bread.

I have
plenty of bread at home.

I bought milk yesterday,
but not for emergency rations.

I bought milk
to finish off
the mashed potatoes
I prepared for the fifteen guests
spending the night
at the church...
guests who were in dire need
of a roof and warmth
on a snowy night.

If every church in Nashville
opened their doors to
15 folks
approximately 9800
could be welcomed
and served.

(Yellow Pages online indicate
654 churches in Nashville)

Nine thousand
eight hundred....
that's about as many
people who live in the
town I used to live in.

It was such a simple
thing to do.
Turn on the porch light.
Cook a hot meal.
Provide a mattress on the floor
with linens, blanket and pillow.
Make available a washer and dryer and shower.
Serve a breakfast and share a sack lunch
all between the hours of
6:30 pm
and 6:30 am.

If I were without a roof
on a snowy night
like last night
and tonight
I pray
for a church
that has
grace and love
enough to
open their doors
and share
such simple gifts.