It's about 9:00 a.m. and I am getting ready to crawl into my bed to grab a few hours of sleep. Since last Sunday, I have been working the overnight shift from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. at the Red Cross emergency shelter in University City. While our guests are sleeping, I am awake, regularly checking on them to make sure they are okay, making coffee and snacks in case someone needs a late night snack, and I'm around in case one of our guests needs someone to talk with. Sometimes it's hard to stay awake in the wee hours of the morning, but then I think about our guests and the fact that I'm there for them, and it keeps me going.

Over this past week, I have seen our guests go through a tribulation in their lives. When they first arrived, I could see tension in their eyes and actions. I listened to the stories of how quickly the water came and receded, and how people on the first floor basically had no chance of saving anything. Almost all they owned is gone. I heard several say they didn't know where they would be sleeping if the Red Cross didn't have the shelter open.

As the week progressed, and our guests were able to start planning their recovery, the tension was eventually replaced with smiles and laughter. Last night was fun as the Red Cross volunteers and shelter guests all played UNO. Something simple like a card game provides a half-hour of not thinking about the mess the flood waters left behind.

Well, my eyes are weary and I am scheduled at the shelter again tonight. I better go for now...

Lois Flippen
Red Cross Volunteer
Kirkwood, MO