snafu013

I played a christmas party with my band yesterday. It was at a shelter for homeless veteran's. The people living at this shelter have been forgetten by everyone except for each other. They have no families, the government in typical government fashion has no more need for them, so they have been basically thrown away like yesterdays garbage. Most of them have nothing left but memories and pain from injuries they got while saving other people. Every one of them that I talked to was a decorated hero, and most of them were former prisoners of war in vietnam. These are people who have sacrificed themselves for their country asking nothing in return. It tore my heart out to see the situation they are living in. Given all of this however, not one of them was bitter, angry, miserable, or negative. Their eyes lit up like children in a candy store when we arrived. They went out of their way to help us get ready and make sure we had food and drink before they took any for themselves. They had to have told us 100 times how grateful they were that we would give up our time to spend time with them. They stood and watched us play like we were celebrities there for them. Not once did any of them complain about how little they had. They have accepted where they are in life, and moved past it, i guess their experiences allow them to just be happy to be alive, regardless of the situation. It was an amazing thing to see. for these people, just a stranger saying hello, offering a handshake, or just saying welcome home(something that was never said enough to most returning war vets, especially prisoners of war) was enough to put a beaming smile on their faces. i went to this gig worrying about unintentionally flaunting material things in front of people who have very little, i left it envying them. i didn't have to envy them too much however, because they gave me a wonderful gift. Seeing the happiness on their faces, and having it directed at us, knowing that our being there for them was such a huge deal in their lives, was one of the most incredible feelings I have had in a very long time. I hope, especially at this time of year, every one of you has an opportunity to at least get a glimpse of that feeling.
Happy Holidays.
~Dan