hot hot heat

so laura and i have decided that there is no ideal weather for working at nativity house. one week ago people were bitching about the cold and rain (myself included) and this week it's been a battle against the heat. honestly, we were just as busy yesterday as the temp topped out at 91 degrees as we were when it was snowing. the only difference is everyone that comes in is sunburt and i couldn't be more jealous. if i remember correctly, at this time last year i was sunbathing on a beach in mexico, more tan than i have ever been in my life. this year it hasn't been warm enough to lay out, except on days that i'm stuck inside working all day.

this week has been particularly challenging as a one of the women who have been coming by recently is trying to figure out what to do with her four young children. i admire the idea that she believes her children should not be on the street, however the means in which she is trying to remove them from street life is very disheartening. everyday it seem like her children's very presence is harboring her time to socialize. when she does interact with the children or their father, people always end up crying and yelling. from what i understand the solution has come down to putting the kids on a greyhound to california to live with their grandmother, the catch being the grandmother won't know the kids are coming to live with her until their are already on their way so she can't refuse them or the other option, which would be to drop them off at the police station to be put in foster care.

it's been really difficult to see the children who are brought into nativity house. it's hard to watch children be subjected to some seriously heinous and violent adult behavior. not to mention the language, sexual activity, illness and substance abuse which these children witness. it's quite sad to practically be able to foretell the type of individuals these kids will turn out to be as so many of our guests have become frequenters of nativity house, consequences of a childhood with striking similarites. and the way the children are watched after would give most mothers high blood-pressure.

on a lighter note, one of our guests, who no one had heard from or seen in months came in today. apparently there are many good 'tricks' to turn in seattle, so that's where he had been residing in the recent past. i particularly like this guy because we always compare our jewlery from Claires and talk about furry coats.