It has been crazy here at Chez Finley.  Two kids–both with colds, a husband–also with a cold, school–with homework, etc., and the list goes on and on. 

I am starting to stress a little as my wonderful hubby is leaving on Sunday for a week long business trip and sadly, he isn’t taking any of the children, leaving me at home with two small terrors to fend for myself for a whole 6 days.  I am not looking forward to it.  I am forever in awe of all of those single-parents out there.  Hubby is presenting at a big IT conference in Vegas and I am so proud of him but so sad to be without him fo a week. 

Because of the impending business trip, I was able to sneak in a Mom’s Night Out last night with some awesome women in my mom’s group.  We were treated to a coffee tasting at Starbucks–one of the mom’s won a coffee tasting for six and it was so nice.  It was very much like a wine tasting…we sniffed, slurped, held it on our tongues (for weight–similar to the legs on a glass of wine).  We paired with sweet treats and nuts from Starbucks’ offerings and went home with a 1/2lb of our choice of coffee.  It was so nice and I was amazed at the significant differences in coffees and with the coffee after eating a particular product.  Amazing.  If you have a chance to do a coffee tasting somewhere, I say DO IT. 

Now on a slightly more serious note.  How many of you know what it is like to be an outcast in society?  To be real but not seen and certainly not valued? To be an unimportant, invisible and completely devalued?  Unless you have been homeless, you can’t really know.  I certainly don’t know what it’s like to feel these things on a societal level.  I think that is what is awesome about the Homless World Cup.  It is a soccer world cup for the homeless.  Many cities have their own homeless street soccer team.  I know my city does–I only found this out yesterday.  They compete against each other in a national tournament and players are then selected from those teams to represent the US in the World Cup.  This year it is in Melbourne, Australia.  The teams fundraise to pay for the trips and there is even a governing body of the Homeless Soccer Leagues/Team.  They are sponsored by NIKE and UEFA (the governing body of Europe’s Football).  It’s pretty awesome.

For any of you who have ever been part of a team, you know how amazing it is and how it makes you feel like part of something.  There success stories and failures that happen, but this gives them something to belong to.  A way to feel valued and a way to slowly become part of society again.  Check it out in your town and see if you can’t help out–or at least catch a game.  I know that our Homeless team her was started by a man who was a child solider in Liberia and spent a lot of time being homeless after that.  Soccer saved his life and he is looking to do the same for others.  Amazing.