Project Advent II, Day 15: IOU Hope Lodge

One of the most amazing days I had during the first Project Advent was when I went and helped at the Hope Lodge.  To refresh your memory, the Hope Lodge is a place where cancer patients and their caregivers and loved ones can stay if they have to travel for medical treatment.  It is free of charge.  The one in Lubbock is the first, and so far only, one in Texas.  The rooms are comparable to what you would find in a really top-notch hotel, and there are lots of other amenities and conveniences that their guests have access to.


My plan today, since it was a Saturday, was to work with the kids on something special for the Hope Lodge.  There are about 20-25 guests there at any time, and we were going to make little care packages for them.  I had a bunch of little stockings, and the plan was to fill them with some treats to make the day a little nicer for the guests of the Lodge, things like chocolate kisses, puzzle books, and other little fun things.  I had all of the stuff ready to go, but then came The Event.  The Event Which Required Attention.


See, my job is in IT.  Most of the time that just means I have to keep stuff plugged in and working well together, but every so often something bigger comes up, and today was one of those days.  Anyway, I ended up spending about 12 hours at the office today working on The Event Which Required Attention.  By the time I was done up there, I needed to get home with the kids, get them bathed and put them to bed.


The stuff for the care packages is still here, and they'll still get made and taken, but I'm afraid that for today I have to break my streak.  I know there's still time that I could make them myself, but I've still got to work on some other things tonight and besides, I really wanted the kids to get to do this with me.


Affirmation Project:  Courtney worked last night, and again tonight, so I needed somebody to be with the kids while I was working, so that she could sleep.  My mom watched them this morning, but had something she needed to do this afternoon, so I called our favorite babysitter, Kerri.  We first met Kerri almost 6 years ago, which I can't even believe.  At the time she was a Tech student, and now she's a grad student; we met her because she also works in our church nursery.  All of our kids have been in her care at some point or other, and somewhere in there, she became our go-to gal when we needed somebody to babysit for us.  She came over today to spend the afternoon with the children, and do you know what she did?  At the end of the afternoon, she wouldn't let us pay her.  Kerri, you're so much more than a babysitter to us - you're like another member of our family.  Thank you.