Heat

It is 4 degrees Fahrenheit in Minneapolis tonight, and I am at home in my heated apartment. Although I have felt chilly all day, I am not going to sleep tonight worried about hypothermia. And for this, I am thankful.

The weather seemed to get just a little bit colder every day this week. I'd been wearing Scott's light-weight fleece shell for the past several weeks because it had been relatively warm. This morning I figured I better put on the heavy coat, but I didn't think I'd need a hat or mittens. I was wrong.

I had to take the bus home from work tonight, which is something I only do on occasion. By noon, I began to get concerned that I was not going to be properly dressed for the wait at the Eden Prairie bus stop, and then the wait in downtown Minneapolis for the connecting bus. Fortunately, my mom was willing to help me out by bringing her warm car to my bus stop so I could wait there. If she hadn't done that, I would have been miserable.

Even so, I had to wait downtown for what seemed like hours, but was probably only five minutes. It was frigid. Tolerable for a little while, but I definitely could not have stood there much longer. Immediately I began thinking about where the homeless population of the Twin Cities would go tonight. As if on cue, a man who appeared to be homeless, carrying a cardboard sign tucked under his arm walked past on the sidewalk.

Remember the homeless, and say a prayer for them tonight.