Awake

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy

I woke and saw that life was service

I acted and behold, service was joy"

-Rabindranath Tagore

2008

"The coming year stretches out in front of me as a long, open field full of flowers and full of weeds. How will I cross that field? What will I have learned when I finally reach the other end." Henri Nouwen

New Puppy!

Alan, a new friend of mine living on the streets of the Village, came to Wednesday night supper last night without an official invitation. He remembered that we have Wednesday night supper around 5:30 pm every week and hoped he would be welcomed this week. When I saw him walk down the steps into Parker Hall my heart was almost as full as my belly.

I had just asked the youth to fix 5 to go plates with plans to have them ready, just in case Ron decided to come or for delivery, when Alan entered.

"Hello Alan!"

"Hi. Can I get a plate tonight?," he said rubbing his hands together for warmth.

"Sure you can. The youth were just fixing a plate for you. Come over to our table and they will bring it to you. So good to see you friend."

Alan fixed his tea, sat at the table, was served, met a few people, laughed a bit, talked a lot and then decided to attend the bell concert in the sanctuary. Well, not really wanting to leave him alone I escorted him to the concert and decided to sit for a bit before joining the youth.

About 5-minutes after taking our seats, he wrote me a note asking if I could help him get some hygiene products because he had lost his. We timidly exchanged a few words on paper, reverting back to the 3rd grade for a few minutes, and came up with a plan. I would put together a little toiletries package and leave it on my front porch for him to pick up a little later. He gave me a a big hug (we decided that note passing was too elementary, so exited into the hall to come up with a plan) and said, "If you every need anything, like your car fixed, let me know. I have two friends that are mechanics." Cool!

So I did a little grocery shopping, found some towels at home and made him the package like I promised. I placed it on the front steps and headed to Sonic to get me a nice cold rootbeer (it had been a long, hard and not so good day). When I got back I noticed the bag was gone and a stuffed dog was on my porch.

"What in the world are my roommates up to now?" I thought. Immediately went inside to consult them and learned that neither of them had anything to do with it.

"Alan!"

Visible

"Seeing within changes one's outer vision." Joseph Chilton Pearce

"Stop a moment, cease your work, and look around you." Thomas Carlyle

"The heart has eyes which the brain knows nothing of." Charles H. Perkhurst

"The question is not what you look at, but what you see." Henry David Thoreau

"The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." Marcel Proust

When I wake each morning, my prayer is "Lord help me to see." For the past year I have had this deep desire bubbling within me to see, really see.

To look at the most ordinary aspects of life and be able to glimpse the extraordinary.

To see beauty. To reveal in beauty and appreciate beauty for it's goodness, not objectify for my own selfish gain.

To see light in the midst of darkness. To see hope amongst great despair.

To see him.
To be seen by him.

Homeless in a VW and Ford Explorer

Saturday, December 15, my roommates and I headed downtown to Riverfront Park for the 17th Annual Nashville Homeless Memorial. It appears from the title that this has happened every year I have been in Nashville, but this is the first time I have paid attention to the email information I guess.

Anyway, it began with a breakfast at 8:30 am and the service began at 9 am with the Color Guard: American Legion Post 82. Yes! It was absolutely brilliant, especially the four letter word uttered by one of the men as they messed up the formation.

We remembered the 42 persons that lived on our streets that we are aware died this past year.

We spent time hearing the stories of person living on the streets of Nashville today, as well as those who do not. One of the stories that has stuck with me since Saturday was the testimony that Howard Gentry, Homeless Commission Chair of Nashville, gave. He shared how he and his wife decided to participate in the Stamp Food challenge for a week about two months ago. What started off a challenge for a week, turned into a 2 month way of life.

For two months, he has been living off of $21 a week for meals. $21!!! Yes, that's right, $3 a day for meals. Crazy, huh?

Yes. Crazy and a bit shameful when I think of the people who have no choice but to live off of this federal assistance that many people would like for us to stop offering. This craziness grabbed my attention and imagination, not letting it go for even a second.

So, my roommates and I decided that we would participate in the challenge as a practice for Lent. On the way to Starbucks, home, Chick-Fila and Target (as you can see, this is definitely going to be a challenge) we talked about what this decision would mean for our lives and how we could live into it faithfully. At one point we discussed the possibility of volunteering at feeding programs and sharing meals with those we serve. We got so excited we started thinking of places we could serve each day of the week to get a good meal. $3 a day is nothing, we are going to need help from wherever we can get it. We realized how quickly our minds started thinking about getting what we need by almost any means necessary.

Come February, every feeding program needs to watch out for possibly the only hungry souls making their way to the soup kitchen in a Ford Explorer and VW.