Help Them Out and Bring Them In

The last few days have been incredibly cold for a North Carolina girl! I'm talkin' teeth chattering, knees knocking, face burning, cold. Last night we were out in Asheville to see a friend's art exhibit and I had a huge coat on, a hat, and a sweater, and I felt like I was going to  freeze to death!

On that note, I'd like to mention two different things...

The homeless. I know that Asheville, NC has a pretty big homeless population, and I think Haywood Country does too. There are places that help out like L.O.T. Ministries of Asheville, The Open Door in Waynesville, and Haywood Pathways in Waynesville.


Haywood Pathways is brand-spankin'-new! Haywood County actually won a national competition to have Ty Pennington come out  and help turn an old prison into a shelter and a half-way house! I personally am very proud of this new way of giving to the community members who are in need.

Even though there are a lot of different options for the homeless, there are still many who are on the streets in the cold. They still sleep outside in this awful weather, hoping they make it through the night. Some of them, I'm sure, don't seek out the shelters for stubborn reasons, others may be unaware that the shelters nearby exist.

Regardless of the situation, the homeless need our help. They need to be treated with love, not with that stare that says "stay away from me, and don't steal my purse". They need the gospel shared with them, given in love-not judgement. They need food and shelter, and that food has to be donated and those shelters need volunteers!

So do your part. I'm speaking to myself as well. I haven't taken my own advice about this in a very long time and it makes me sick. Is my time on the couch, stuffing my face, and watching Netflix so important that I can't go volunteer instead? Or why can't I decide to eat less and cheaper for a week so that I can afford to buy some food to donate? The answer is, I can.... I just haven't.

Secondly, bring your dogs inside, folks! I know this is not as important as the first point, but it is still very important!

I am so sick of seeing dogs shivering in their yards because their owners won't let them inside. It's one thing if your dog is a mountain dog, like a St. Bernard or a Newfoundland. They are built for cold weather. I would still bring them in, but they can handle the cold.

A dog I found wandering around
Taylor's school the day it got so cold.

However, most dogs don't have a coat made for frigid temperatures. Just because they have fur, doesn't mean they are ok outside. When its in the teens, or even twenties, bring your pups inside. Don't torture them. You wouldn't like to be left outside with only a big coat to protect you. You'd still be miserable, and that's exactly how your dogs feel.

My neighbor has two small dogs. He always leaves them outside. A few nights ago, the low was two degrees, and those poor dogs were outside all night. I'm sorry, but that is so cruel. I know some people disagree with me, but I will stand by my argument. I totally acknowledge that most people who leave their dogs outside in the cold are not trying to be cruel. Most of them just think the dogs are built for the weather. I have known of people to leave their dog outside for the night (innocently enough) and when they went outside in the morning, their dog had literally frozen to death. Please think about this next time it gets so cold. I'm sure most people are well meaning, but good intentions can still end in saddening results.

So, you've heard my rantings for the day. Maybe they will help someone. That is my purpose in writing. Not to make anyone upset, but to motivate people to change. Maybe this will give someone the "oomph" they need to go volunteer, or will make someone realize they need to let their fur-baby sleep inside for the night. I hope so.

Thanks for reading and happy Thursday!