Warm Wishes During Cold Holidays

Like many communities around the nation, Salt Lake has a visceral homeless challenge. Government and community leaders seem to be doing their best to house as many as possible, but we all know it’s a multi-faceted and complicated issue.

Two years ago, our family moved from a gated and rural community up in the ski town of Park City down to the heart of the urban capital city, Salt Lake City. We now live steps from the bustle of downtown and also blocks from where many homeless citizens are literally living on medians and sidewalks.

It's been a massive awakening for Stephanie and I and even more so for our three sons. Positives and negatives as you can imagine. Daily we drive past desperate, destitute people panhandling, some likely using drugs and generally leaving trash and discarded items everywhere. It’s both frustrating and heartbreaking at the same time.

I use the moments to remind our sons we have no idea of their individual journeys. They may have mental health issues (yes, something I talk about with my six, eight, and ten-year-old). They may have no education or skills, or maybe they do and are physically ill and can’t work. Some may be criminals, and some may simply have had a bad turn in life and found themselves with no family, friends, or support system to fall back on. We don’t know their journey, and we don’t judge them.

It’s not a black or white issue, is it?

So this morning, I’m driving to get a cup of coffee around 5 AM, and I pass a small camp of them about six blocks from our home, and I notice the temperature is 36F. I can’t imagine living outside in the summers, let alone the winters.

I bag the coffee and turn into the store where I sourced the now-famous Comfy our sons have worn for over a week, straight. Now for those who know me, I’m chemically incapable of doing anything small, so I buy the store’s entire supply. Impulsive? Welcome to my entire life.

I now have an entire store’s inventory of Comfys in my car (took two trips), and this afternoon the boys and I are headed out to distribute as many of them as we can.

It’s Thanksgiving tomorrow. No guests coming over. No extended family or friends to eat with. But The Miller’s are immensely thankful for all we have. Hoping a warm Comfy helps someone in need.

Maybe your local store has some. Perhaps buy one today and just pull up to someone in need and tell them Happy Thanksgiving. It’s cold out there.