March is a crazy time of year weather-wise in Ottawa, getting it in all its varieties. Yesterday was no exception. We went from snow to freezing rain and then to rain which rendered all the streets with their accumulated snowfall since November, covered in six inch slush, ponds instead of puddles and treacherous ice everywhere. Yesterday the side streets were a mess and no one who didn’t need to go out stayed home. I was at the TD Bank yesterday in the middle of the day and there was NO line up.
The thing is, yesterday was also our planned date for Home Visits with the added expectation to return to homes where promises were made to pick up the last set of new registration forms for the spring session. We absolutely needed to do our home visits yesterday. It couldn’t wait until today. Undaunted Fireman Shawn Donnelly and I donned our rainwear and old boots (both of us ended up getting soakers) a flashlight (cause it’s still dark at 6:00), the Saturday flyer and a smile on our faces. In reality, both Shawn and I look forward to seeing the kids and their parents and it takes more than a messy snow slush day to wreck our spirits.
But what really kept our smiles beaming brightly for two hours in this crazy weather was just about every home we went to we were told, “The kids have been waiting for you!!!” One mother even called to her daughter, “See?! they’re here!” And true to this word, we were welcomed by hugs from every child visited and their anticipated excitement for Saturday’s spring launch. Our kids are the best!!
This is all very encouraging in itself, but it goes to another level for me when we consider that it’s all very good evidence that City Kidz Ottawa is, in actual fact, making a difference in the lives of Ottawa’s children. To have stayed home yesterday may have been convenient for us, but it also would have potentially broken trust with some of these kids. They were expecting us. By going we proved to them that we are there for each one of them and even willing to endure some pretty slushy cold bad weather just to see them.
It was a bad weather night last night with a resulting bad hair day for me. On the other hand, both Shawn and I went to our respective homes afterward feeling pretty good with our hearts warmed by the love we received from all of our kids. For that reason alone we were glad we went. It’s all about keeping things in perspective. Smiles and hugs overwhelmingly out weigh the odd soaker here and there. It was a good night. The kids were worth every step. It was worth the trek.
….And ONE for all!!
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