Sunday in the Park

Today we went to the park to help feed the evacuees. The area churches do it through the week and different people take it up on the weekends. This weekend, we were all slated to go. My coworker's hubby did most of the leg work, asking for and getting donations from area businesses.

We had a bbq, and while it was good, I am wondering if those poor peeps aren't getting tired of grilled food. I mean, outside cooking is going to be grilled. Men are grill kings for the very reason that they get to start fires, usually in a grill they've made or customized, and cook over it. They get to show they are adept at both wielding (the grills) hooking up some sort of smoking contraption, and cooking thereby beating us girls out on all counts.

But, back to the people. I have found them all to be friendly, sweet, wellmannered and grateful. I don't expect perfect behavior, hell, they've been uprooted, they are going to be a bit grumpy. But they were nice, they talked about their experiences, laughed, joked, cut up and packed away their trash when done.

Sounds like a family reunion to me, only nobody got into a fistfight, therefore, they beat out my realitives right there! Heck. I don't want them to feel like guests, I want them to feel like family, it's what they are. They are temporarily family to all of us, it's how you have to treat them, how you have to look at it.

The children were shy, at first, but we got them out of that. My hubby lured the boys to his table with the promise of free comics. He'd gone through his collection and picked out those he thought appropriate for their age groups. There they all sat, yakkin about X-Men and Spiderman and whoever else he'd picked out to bring.

He was embarrassed that I told my friends, heck I was bragging on him. Bill is a wonderful man, he empathizes with others so much better than I do. While I hurt for the people that are here, a part of me shuts off to deal with it. He doesn't have that ability, it seems. He was worried about them all living out there. Some of them were telling him they weren't going back, they had nothing to go back to, they said.

They had their puppies, their kids, their little keepsakes. I am just terrorized by what I'd have left behind; all those memories, pictures, things that mean something to me, left to the flood waters and looters.

I know people have complained about the behavior of the refugees. My experiences have all been fine, so far. Like I said, family. Then again, hell, my family is something else. LOL.

I am tired from the heat. Night!

Jenn