Thankful

An 18-year-old stood on the sidewalk outside her family’s new home –
       And she cried.

She cried because her mom and siblings have a place to live –
       No more homeless shelters and random hotel rooms.

She cried because her 4-year-old brother has childcare (on scholarship, with us!) –
       And that helped her mom find a better-paying job.

She cried because of the kindness extended by people they know –
       And people they may never know (that’s you). 

You haven’t met this family, but you helped –
You helped when nothing else was going their way.
 

You helped when they least expected it –
       Because they didn’t know what to expect. It hadn’t always been this way.

Homelessness happened so fast. Their father canceled the lease on their home, then walked away. An accident wrecked their car. Childcare and transportation costs ate up their mom’s paycheck; little was left for housing and groceries.

And while these are adult problems to solve, it’s always the children who end up getting hurt.

Thankfully, in this case, the hurt was met with kindness. Someone cared enough to help. And one teenager was grateful to the point of tears.

Thanksgiving this year will have new meaning for her family.

Thank you for lifting them back to their feet.


Lessons in love

“If one person is inspired to offer and/or accept unconditional love, then our job has been done.” – Barry Fetzer, above left, with his brother Bruce

I love you all the time!
When their three kids were little, Barry Fetzer and his wife, Arlene, always read to them at bedtime. Then Barry would make up a rhyme about how much they were loved:

“I’d say, ‘I love you here to there’ –
and I’d touch the top of their head, then down to their toes.
And then, ‘I love you east to west. I love you the best.’ ”

It went on for years, Barry rhyming for his kids. But once they were adults, he wanted them to remember. So he started to jot down verses from their childhoods, sending one at time to his brother Bruce, who would illustrate and send them back.

Back and forth they went for years – from Barry in Swansboro to Bruce in Albuquerque. Until they had a book: I love you all the time!

We are grateful to be the beneficiary of their book sales. Barry and Arlene first supported Methodist Home for Children through their church, Swansboro UMC, more than 20 years ago!

Visit the Fetzer brothers at pinkapplesauce.com to order books and learn about the Thanksgiving Day treat that inspired their domain name. You can also order through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and Books-A-Million.