Today was a good day!  It began with playing for two church services this morning, brunch with our closest friends, yarn shopping for my next Welcome Blanket, and then a little more shopping.

The photos of the devastation in the Houston area continue to blanket the news.  Many of those who have been displaced have now made their way to one of several shelters here in the Dallas area.  And the cars, buses and planes continue to arrive.  Those seeking refuge here left everything and nothing behind.  For many, everything they had is lost.  The reality of lost homes and cars and memories has not set it.  Most of these people can’t think that far ahead at the present moment.  They are living minute by minute, wondering what their next meal will be, when they might have a shower, can they find clean clothes.  Agencies in Dallas, as well as many individuals have stepped up to help.  Part of the issue is knowing what is most helpful to the evacuees and the shelters at this right now.

This morning during church, our pastor shared that one of the greatest immediate needs in the local shelters is for diapers, baby formula, and feminine hygiene products.  Weber, a friends, and I set out this afternoon to shop for these things and deliver them to a nearby shelter.  Oh my goodness, what an experience!  Imagine shopping with a man (my husband) who has never bought baby stuff and knows absolutely nothing about it.  He has bought tampons and pads, but not recently…thank goodness!  And the other shopper is a gay man who isn’t familiar with buying any of these items.  Talk about people stepping outside their comfort zone to help their neighbor!  And they both did it joyfully.  Seriously.

The comments along the way, however, were hilarious!

 

‘How many diapers does a baby use in a day?”

Me: Under normal circumstances, probably 6-8.

“That’s a lot of diapers!”

“What do all of these different numbers on the boxes mean?  

Me: There are different sizes.

Diapers come in sizes?  Can’t you just tape the baby in there tighter?”

 

“This stuff is expensive!

“We should just buy the babies beer.  We could get a whole lot more beer with our money than we can get of this formula!”

Me: Yes, but them you might need more diapers per day.

The cashier at Target: I’d stick with the formula for the babies.

“We need some Juicy Juice!”

 

“Parents really feed THIS to their children?  It looks disgusting!”

Me: Not me.  I made my own baby food because this stuff does look disgusting!

“Oh.  You were one of THOSE mothers.”

 

“”I don’t know anything about super and maxi and with or without wings and applicators.”

“Yeah…and they send you to the store and tell you to get the green package with the yellow stripe and black lettering.  Make sure not to get the one with the yellow lettering.  There is virtually no way you are going home with the right thing.  Just accept that.”

“I don’t plan on going home with any of it so I’m good.”

Me: I’ll go get some different kinds.

“As long as they are not gross and used, I can do this.”

“The same is true with the diapers.”

 

I’m sad that the circumstances surrounding our shopping experience are what they are, but if it had to be done, I’m glad I was able to shop with these two guys.  We made it fun.  We know we didn’t make a dent in the big picture, but any woman knows how miserable life is when you need a diaper or a tampon and you don’t have one.  If we can make a few people comfortable and give them some dignity, we have made an impact and that is what matters.  If we all do a little, big things are accomplished.