The homeless shelters in Minneapolis are just bulging. With our inclement weather here, it's no wonder. Minnesota Public Radio recently covered this situation. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/11/16/homeless .  There are numerous charities that serve the homeless. If you would like to give, but can't find one locally, go to www.unitedway.org. There is a zip code search engine that can direct you to charities in your area. 

As a little girl, I recall my grandmother mentioning the "hobos" that came through their northern Minnesota town on the train during the Great Depression. "Hobo" is not a politically correct term today, but that's what they were called in the 30s. Writer Bill Bryson posits that the term was not a pejorative one back then-and I'm sure this is the case because my grandmother didn't talk that way about people. Bryson suggests in his book Made in America that it could either come from the railroad greeting, "Ho, beau!" or an abbreviation of "homeward bound."

Back to my grandmother... my mother filled in the blanks many years later when she told me that no matter how much scarcity existed in their own home during the Depression, my grandmother never turned away anyone who was hungry. My grandmother was a simple woman with an eighth grade education, but she wisely practiced her faith via sandwich and coffee. Grandma knew "there but for the grace of God..." Ask anyone who works with the homeless population; many have mental illnesses, disabilities or addictions. Some are running from abusive environments. And some are those who lost their grip on the mainstream due to a devastating setback of some kind.  

When my son Eric was a toddler, one of our favorite shows to watch together was Shining Time Station of "Thomas the Tank Engine" fame. I was holding Eric during Shining Time's Christmas special-this was almost 20 years ago, but I remember it as if it were yesterday.

In keeping with the tank engine theme, there was a song that started playing about hobos who rode the rails. It was one of the most moving songs I've ever heard. I squeezed my son and cried. I'm sure he wondered what was wrong with Mommy-on the TV, he saw a man on a train and heard a pretty song. Today my pragmatic 21 year old would say "Crying won't help them, Mom. Send them a check." The video clip from this Shining Time Christmas episode is on YouTube, and I'd love to share it with you.  It's my Zippy News video of the week.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGxVCl1ww4Q&feature=related

This will be my last blog for 2009. To those 700-800 visitors each month that find our NCFR blog and give our website a "hit," thank you so very, very much.  

 By the way, here's the toddler I was holding. And what is he holding? His Thomas the Tank Engine.