This is such a cozy day. I'm loving it (not McDonalds). I'm at Common Grounds right now with Molly, sipping on a hot chocolate. When we got here there was only one other patron. It amazing, some might say a phenomenon. We got pretty excited because we had out choice of seats. I'm in the best seat right now, one of the tall cushioned benched in the back. I like knowing what's going on, watching people, being aware of my surroundings, and this is the optimum seat for just that. I can see both the front and back doors and into every room. And I'm in a corner, so I can lean up against the wall and put up my feet. It's wonderful.

I love this weather, until I start to think about the homeless population in Waco. When we got here, there were two homeless guys that always hang around Common Ground sitting in the back room on a couch. Once more people started coming in, they got kicked out, because more seats were needed for paying customers. So now they're outside in the cold. And they were really nice. One of them told me he heard a girl saying they might cancel class tomorrow. I told him that was exciting news. He doesn't go to class, obviously, yet he still seemed excited for us. And the thing is, when I'm in Common Grounds, I'm not usually a paying customer either. A lot of times I just sit and read without buying a drink. I guess it just makes people uncomfortable when they share a couch with a homeless person. I would too, to be honest. It's just a sad reality, poverty. It's easy not to think about. That reminds me of a Derek Webb song, Rich Young Ruler, "Poverty is so hard to see when it's only on your TV or 20 miles across town. We're all living so good. Did we move out of Jesus' neighborhood? Where he's lonely and not feeling so good, going through our trash."

I just realized I put two lids on my hot chocolate. I've been drinking it for like 15 minutes.

edit:
I just read this one this guy's blog:

"For several years I've had this nagging thought, and it's one that many of my friends have shared. If the generations before us believed they were so right about something, even to the point of using biblical texts to justify their hate, then what evils do I, and those like me, hold to that I have no clue about.

If I may take a slightly Catholic (big "C") turn to end this post, I'll just say that as we take this day to honor Martin Luther King, I can only pray that he has compassion on whatever wretchedness is within me that I am blind to, and that, as one of the host of witnesses talked about in Hebrews, will see fit to intercede for me."