Having no family in town for Christmas and not having much planned, I took a chance and put an ad on Craigslist asking for volunteers to join me in bringing food downtown to the homeless. I figured we could set up a small table and some hot food and truly hoped we could make a little bit of a difference. I didn't really have alot of expectations, afterall, it was three days before Christmas.

What happened was amazing! Several people not only said yes but they showed up with food in hand and joined me in serving food to dozens of homeless people in a downtown parking lot. No, we didn't have a turkey dinner prepared but we did have hot dogs, lasagna, cake, tacos and lots of beverages (even sparkling cider).

Some of us tried to hide our tears but it was pretty clear that in banding together to help others, we were deeply touched. Today, I felt a real sense of connectedness. I know that the human spirit of giving is alive and well this year in Austin, Texas!

Some of us are planning on coming downtown next year to volunteer. I am so inspired by the willingness of my Craigslist friends, I may be hitting them up for some other volunteer opportunities real soon.