Today, when I was out feeding the homeless, I gave a meal to a woman I hadn't seen on our route before. There haven't been very many women since I've been doing this, and each time I see one, it really tears at me for some reason. Somehow, I guess, seeing the men out there is sad; it's mostly sad because you realize what they must've been through to bring them to the streets. But somehow, it almost seems like the streets are an end to some of their worst struggles. It almost seems like the streets are a place of refuge for them.
When I see a woman, it's a little bit different though. Some of the women, you can tell they can handle it. There's this one woman who hangs with about three other guys. The guys are middle aged and she's probably in her early thirties. She's tall, big, with long, dirty blonde hair. She has a rough voice and an attitude, but she's not entirely unfriendly. I don't worry about her. Somehow I know she's fine.
But the woman I saw today was different than that woman. She looked to be in her fifties, though she was probably only forty-something, so hardened was her face. Despite the wrinkles and the hardened look, you could see a definite femininity, a softness that remained beyond her experience. She was very greatful for the meals we gave her and thanked us and smiled.
With many of the people we see, I can imagine that they choose to be homeless. Society is not something they want to put up with and so they duck out. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe that's just a belief I have to make it easier for me to greet these people with a only a meal. With this woman, though, I imagined that she did not choose homelessness. I think she would have wanted a home. I don't know what her story was and is, and I wonder about it. And I'm writing specifically of women; however, in thinking about it, I've seen some of the men are this way too--there are ones who don't choose to be homeless, but they don't know what else to do. These are the ones I would like to help beyond simply giving them a meal. I'm not sure what to do.
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a pursuit to discover the gospel of peace that Jesus taught and lived, in its spiritual, physical and social manifestations.
About the writing in this blog . . .
Earlier I wrote in this blog that I would seek the things that make for peace--and that I would not use violence in my words, whether they be written or spoken. So this blog must go outside the boundaries I first gave it. In those boundaries, I was limiting my understanding of peace. And peace is everywhere.
You see, I am finding that peace happens in surprising ways, and Jesus is not as religious as I once thought he was. Not in any way. As I get to know him, he calls me further from the boundaries I placed us in when I was a child. And so I am finding that peace happens in places I have feared. Peace is everywhere.
You see, I am finding that peace happens in surprising ways, and Jesus is not as religious as I once thought he was. Not in any way. As I get to know him, he calls me further from the boundaries I placed us in when I was a child. And so I am finding that peace happens in places I have feared. Peace is everywhere.
Blogs I Like
Books I've Read Along My Peace Journey
- Brown, Dale. Biblical Pacifism, 2nd Edition. Evangel Publishing House, Nappanee, Indiana. 2003.
- Chernus, Ira. American Nonviolence : The History of an Idea. Maryknoll, N.Y. : Orbis Books, 2004
- Yoder, John Howard. When War is Unjust: Being Honest in Just-War Thinking. Maryknoll, N.Y. : Orbis Books, 1996
- Lois Barrett. The Way God Fights: War and Peace in the Old Testament. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press 1987.
- Roth, John. Choosing Against War, A Christian View: A Love Stronger Than Our Fears. Intercourse, PA : Good Books, 2002.
Books I'm Currently Reading
- I'm taking a break for a bit to do more writing.
Blog Archive
november sunrise on the way to work
2 comments:
In the same way your heart brought you to help these people, your heart will show you what to do next.
A great thing you're doing. God's will I'm sure and that's what matters. My time at a similar place in Lima, Ohio also raised some tough question about society in general. When talking with some of the men, they're always humble and thankful, never shameful of the situation. Hopefully places like this one will continue operating so people can expect the same support every day. The encouraging and heartbreaking stories I heard about people ensuring homeless people in big cities (Chicago, etc.) had a place to go during the bitter cold.
Are community acts seen as a normal part of our country overall or a sense of duty to help the "less fortunate" then move on quickly with our lives? People helping people on such a basic, personal level hits our core...and it should because no one's place in this world is totally secure... only God is totally secure.
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