My wife and I made a shopping trip the other day to provide Christmas gifts (out of my paycheck) for the children of a drug dealer that is currently doing time (my arrest).  I called him at the facility that he is currently lodged and made sure that it was okay for us to label the gifts as being from "Daddy" first.  He's not going to get out in time for Christmas, as he's facing at least one other drug charge of mine.

Then I worked that night.

On my day off, we had an emergency call-out.  A mental decided that she wanted to gargle buckshot in the bedroom of her section-8 apartment.  Live in boyfriend attempted to wrestle the weapon away from her, and she cranked off a round out the window towards another building- keep in mind that there are dozens and dozens of children that live here.  Fortunately, a tree stopped the shot, and no one was hurt.  

Today I showed up to volunteer my time to deliver Christmas presents to "needy" children.  I made a run back to the same section-8 apartment complex, and delivered presents to every unit but one, in one particular building.  At one unit, the oldest boy was outside his government-subsidized unit, playing with his new radio-controlled helicopter, and couldn't be bothered to help me carry the huge bags of presents inside- no "thank you" or anything.

Many of the units were essentially without furniture.  Dirty dishes piled on the counters, "snow drifts" of soiled laundry in the corners.  Maybe a soiled mattress or a broken down cardboard box for the children to sleep on in the living room.  But they had HUGE brand new flat-screen television sets, hundreds of DVDs, the latest video games, liquor, smokes, sodas, and snack foods.  I think we're the only country in the world that gives food stamps to morbidly obese people.

On my way back to my vehicle, I encountered a 9-year old that had no idea what today was.  When I told him, he still had no idea what Christmas was.  He couldn't even be bothered to look up from a rather expensive looking portable game console to talk to the Police Officer in the raid shirt, jeans, and Santa hat.

Back to the Police station to pick up another load, and a couple shows up in a lifted Toyota 4x4 SUV with huge chrome wheels, tinted windows, and an absurdly powerful stereo.  They hop out in their designer clothes, and ask where "their" Christmas presents are.

I work again tonight, probably handling the same people.

Tomorrow, I'll forgo spending Christmas with my family in the traditional sense, in order to volunteer to feed these same people at a Christmas luncheon.

Then I go back to work tomorrow night, handling them again.

And we're already gearing up to handle the same folks on New Year's Eve.

Whew.

Why not do everyone else a favor and taze them when they hop out of their new cars and demand free shit?

You are a better man than me. Seeing some of those things I would have given them a lump of coal.

I couldn't handle doing what you do.  

Glad there are some in this world like you who can.  I don't deal with ungrateful folks very well at all.

Fuck That.

Merry Christmas KirkP.

And me.

God bless those who are. I don't always "get" how they do it.

Wow man. Why would you do that? Don't they have enough boosted gifts as it is? Kindness is weakness in the street.

 Is there no one who is really needy like someone whose house burned lately or something you could give to instead of people who will just destroy what you give them in short order instead of really appreciate it?

God bless you KirkP!


 

Just got back from my last run.

We delivered over 150 plastic garbage bags full of brand new Christmas toys to children in the community.

Two households stood out on this last run.  2 single mothers with a rainbow of 14 children from probably 10 different absentee fathers, judging from the number of last names.  One mom was missing a bunch of teeth, from over 20' away she smelled like sombody pissed in an ashtray and put it in a microwave, and she looked like she'd dressed herself and her entire family out of a Goodwill dumpster.  Not a SINGLE child was able to tell me who's birthday we celebrate tomorrow.

At two other houses, nobody would come to the door because they were afraid that I was there to arrest them (in a Santa hat and raid shirt).  I caught one of them sneaking out the back to his car, and gave him the gifts.

They have money for the latest i-pods, dope, beer, porn, and tobacco, but they can't afford to put a roof over their children's heads, or feed and cloth them, much less do Christmas for them.

I gotta suit up and go to work in an hour.

He does.  

It ain't me.  It's just the effect that you are seeing reflected in me.  The cause of the effect is Jesus Christ.