Long Cold Night

For those of you not in area, it is really frickin' cold in Buffalo today. Like, "feels like -3 degrees" cold, according to weather.com. Like, waiting on the outdoor for the train today, my hands started to get that stiff feeling where I couldn't bend my fingers. That kind of cold.

Now, this winter, I have tried, as much as a Houstonian transplant can, to accept the coming on winter. To embrace it even. To relax in the grip of an icy wind and just let it be. But, I have to say. This is a little ridiculous. All I have wanted to do, all day long, was just climb under the covers and not come back out until it warms up. And I'm not even talking about spring. I'm just talking about back up to around the 25 degrees that it used to be. I would be so happy with that. But, I shouldn't complain. I should absolutely not complain. My workplace is heated and my home is heated. I can afford to buy warm clothes (including long johns--God bless you, long johns!)

The reason I found myself on the train platform (yes, really, a train in Buffalo! It even goes underground! I forget about it a lot too) this morning was that I was on my way to a meeting of the Homeless Coalition of WNY. Although a lot of the meeting consisted of somewhat dry discussion of new committees that were forming, perhaps the best part of it for me was watching a roomful of people get mobilized to protect the most vulnerable populations from this extreme cold weather. As someone at this meeting said, "If a flood happened, the city would set up shelters. If there was a tornado, they would set up shelters. But, for the homeless population, this kind of cold can be just as lethal." So there was much discussion on how to do an immediate (as in, before tonight) collection of gloves and blankets, emergency teams to go out on the streets and find people and either bring them to shelters or provide for them to stay warmer, how to get onto the news and radio to make people aware of the needs. It was really meaningful to me to be among these people who not only care, but allow their concern to translate into action.

So, props to you, Homeless Coalition of WNY. And, if you're in Buffalo, bundle up, and be thankful for whatever heat you do have.

P.S.-- Can I just mention, since I seem to be building up a series of missed holidays lately, that I missed Epiphany this year? Seriously, this brings it up to, like at least three now. I missed two Jewish holidays, the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and now, Epiphany. I am particularly disappointed because I definitely did not grow up with Epiphany, but had such a tremendous time of it last year, thanks to that amazing Episcopalian church in Kansas City and their ginormous king puppets, that now when I could not observe it, I do feel a true sense of regret. Also, being in Texas, working at the bakery from hell, expanded my understanding to include a king's cake, to be eaten on Twelfth Night, with the little plastic baby in it that tell you who's supposed to host the next party...oh, the groans of regret. I wanted to share the little plastic baby with all my Buffalonian friends. People should start calling me a week before these things are supposed to happen, just to remind me and help me plan what I should do...oh well. Goodbye, little plastic baby. Hopefully I'll see you next year...