Cool Moms Care

My husband, daughter and I sat in our bedroom and constructed a tiny paper house. We cut out strips of paper that had “conversation starters” on them while my husband taped the house together. There was a hole in the roof of this little paper house. Put there intentionally…a way for us to drop our written thoughts and prayers for those who are homeless.

Currently, our church is taking part in what is called homelessness:360. Every household that is part of our church community is doing the same thing we are — constructing small houses of paper and praying for those that are homeless.

By taking part in this exercise, my family is becoming more aware. The whole concept of not having anywhere to live is completely new for our four-year-old daughter. This idea has never occurred to her before, and it is a bit confusing for her. To be honest, this complex and difficult issue is confusing to me as well.

Working in downtown Nashville for 10 years, I had my encounters with homelessness. It was not uncommon to see homeless men and women congregating on street corners or in the city park, especially as the weather turned cooler. And, I was often approached by someone who needed money or food. At times, I must admit, it became aggravating.

But, then it happened…one day as I was sitting at a red light, I looked over at a homeless man on the corner. Our eyes met. Several thoughts went through my head…this man has a name…when was the last time he heard his name spoken…when was the last time someone acknowledged him by looking him in the eye…he is someone’s child…he was someone’s baby boy…Our eyes stayed locked for a few moments, and I smiled at him. He smiled back. It was after this simple occurrence that I began to see the homeless as individuals.

Back to the little paper house. Every night for several weeks we took the sheets of paper that had “conversation starters,” read them aloud, and discussed homelessness. We then prayed for those that are homeless, not only in Nashville, but around the world.

Last Sunday, during the church service, each family that had constructed a house put it at the front of the sanctuary, where we built a city of hope…hope for those that have no place to call home.

How have you discussed difficult issues like homelessness with your child?

- Malinda Moseley

Photo by Ted Parks