So Eli, Where You From?

I honestly don't even know where to begin. Katrina came and went. Then the levee broke and families and lives were torn apart. I've been volunteering with the refugees at a few places around Baton Rouge. And from all of the emails and calls I've gotten it seems to me that there is not enough of the good stuff getting through to the world at large. So here is a little light-heartedness for all of you. To be perfectly honest, I've not gotten to the point where I have thought about it. I just rely on God to give me the strength to serve and love on those that I am meeting as I volunteer. I mostly play with children. And I think I've found another spiritual gift. I'm a couch. No, really. Every day I've worked at the shelter, a child has found his/her way into my arms and promptly falls asleep. It's mildly disconcerting that I'm boring to a toddler. Oh well.

Today we had a few celebrities come into the shelter. I was with my group from the Ring, waiting outside to be let in. There were a lot of cops and media for some reason. I thought it was a bit odd because the media cameras are not allowed into the shelter itself. So I'm standing by the door and this guy wearing a red cross smock walks up to me and says he appreciates me being there. I had the opportunity to tell him that we were playing with the children to give them and their parents a bit of a break. He turns around and grabs another man and introduces him to me. So I stick out my hand and introduce myself and say, "Hi, I'm Allison Miller. So Eli, where you from?" The man says, "New Orleans." I'm like, ok, that sucks that he's from New Orleans, considering that there isn't one any more. And then I wonder if he's lost his home like the rest of the people that I'd met at the shelter. He then thanks me also for working with the kids. Meanwhile, a few friends of mine around me weren't saying much. Which is weird, but I didn't say anything about it at the moment. After the guys moved away, Nathan and Hannah, look at me and say, "That was so awesome." I've got no clue what they are talking about. That's when they explain to me that I had just met the Director of the Red Cross and Eli Manning, quarterback for the New York Giants.