This latest offering in the secondhand series comes from Susan, a fellow poetic-minded soul who shares her thoughts online at If You’re Going Through Hell, Keep Going. I’m thankful she was kind enough to venture into the world of haiku to offer a contribution. And with much of the U.S. in the grips of a freeze wave — the temp outside my door this morning at 19° F going up to just below freezing — this haiku couldn’t be more appropriately timed.

If you know any folks who are elderly or house-bound and living alone, it’s not a bad idea to check on them in times like this. Freezing temperatures in the Philadelphia area also remind me to point out the needs of those without reliable shelter. Poject H.O.M.E. has a great street outreach program to help encourage those without shelter to come in from the cold. If you’re in Philly and you see a homeless person without shelter, you can call 215-232-1984 to let Project H.O.M.E.’s street outreach team know.

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rarely have there been
causes more deserving of
our celebration

*
I spotted a refreshing piece of news coverage this past week, when it became known that Sister Mary Scullion was named to Time‘s 100 Most Influential list. For those not in the know, Sister Mary is a Philadelphia nun who co-founded Project H.O.M.E., a cause I’ve personally supported for the past few years. Earlier this year, I decided to donate whatever 2009 profits my book yields to this worthy cause.

Sister Mary and the Project H.O.M.E. community have made much more than a dent in the scourge of homelessness in the City of Brotherly Love, and all I really want to say is that it’s good to see an influential persons list that includes those who don’t spend their lives as celebrities or self-serving power brokers. I can think of few people I would be happier to see on the Time list than Sister Mary Scullion.

**
I spent this past Saturday morning and early afternoon celebrating the first communion of the firstborn daughter of one of my dearest old friends. People who know me know I adore children — not just my incredible collection of nieces and nephews (one of whom celebrated her own first communion the Saturday prior) — perhaps because I retain such a connection to my own childhood. It was nice to see their family celebrate such a fine moment, and especially nice to have been included in it.

***
Earlier today I stopped in a the Yum Yum Bake Shop on the corner. I was trying to choose an appropriate combination of donuts from those available. The girl behind the counter remarked, somewhat apologetically, that the selection was “sparse.” It occurred to me how rarely words like “sparse” are used, especially by younger folks (the young woman behind the counter appeared to be in her late teens, possibly early twenties).

I complimented her choice of words, at which point she commented that she is sometimes “verbose.” I responded she must be a writer. She said she was.

I guess we’re everywhere.

(Sorry, by the way, for not handwriting the haiku — it was an afterthought)

could anything be
as real as the smile passing
between you and me?

*
Longtime regular readers may have noticed the return to an old habit — that is the posting of a daily haiku. That’s how my haiku habit originally began. So as not to thin out the haiku quality too much, I’m going to occasionally revive old entries. This would be such an entry.

“Soft light” was originally posted last year. It also appears in my book — which, if you haven’t yet bought it but are inclined to, is available from Amazon. It’s a bargain at $7.50 a copy. Better yet, all of its 2009 net royalties will be donated to Project H.O.M.E., which happens to be one of my favorite charities.

Of course, if you already have a copy of the book or you just aren’t interested in it, I’d still encourage you to make a donation to Project H.O.M.E. (or the charity of your choice, homeless or otherwise).