Heavy Hearts

I had never been this close to poverty before. At least four boys played ball in the street. The ladies and small children were inside. I was invited in. The room was bare and could not have been more than 12x12'. Two closed doors led to other small rooms. There were nine of us and it was warm inside even though it was 37 outside. They had one piece of furniture, a sofa, and all the ladies sat on it while I sat with the children on the floor. My husband and I had taken a few toys and a few jackets to the kids, thanks to a generous donation from a family I met. My nervous husband sat in the car waiting. He was not happy about being in this place. As I approached the car after my visit, a lady in a wheelchair rolled down the street and asked if I had a gift for her. I promised to return with one. My heart was overwhelmed with thoughts of this moment as we witnessed the many needs of this entire street of families. We traveled back to the comforts of our home with a heaviness in our hearts over the poverty in our great state of Alabama.