chillin'
I'm chillin' on a beautiful late November evening. Three of my housemates are out of town and I am sitting in the living room of one of the support committee members' homes. They went out of town for the week, and asked us to take care of the cats. So Tom and I are hanging out relaxing in this homey apartment less than a 10 minutes walk from our place.
Yesterday and today were warm, unusually warm for this time of year...I'm wondering when the cold winter is going to hit. Because mid 60's and clear skies aren't going to last forever.
I am experiencing much in my job at a homeless shelter. Recently there was a resident whom I am utterly repulsed by and yet have compassion for, especially her 20 month old daugher. This 20 year old mother of one and pregnant with another one carries around a load of negative energy; it's frightening. She is big for her age and looks older than she is, yet she acts as like a child. She doesn't want to do any more than the minimum requirement, and she'll find any loophole or difference in staff's words and exploit it. She was dismissed after a long line of rule violations; she was very defensive to any amount of constructive criticism, direction, or authority. She expected to receive everything she believed she was "entitled" to. She held an attitude of "me and my child against the world". The child was treated more as a burden or pawn than a beautiful young girl. And the sad thing is, that she may grow up and continue the destructive cycle her mother is leading. What other example does she have? I pray for the little girl...and for the young mother...and maybe one day see that she has a lot to learn about the world and doesn't know it all -- no one does...
On the other side of the spectrum, there is a resident who recently relocated from another state. She left an abusive marriage to an alcoholic and is in the middle of a bitter custody battle. She is out every day looking for work, looking for daycare for her children. She is a strong, independent woman, trying to get her life back together. Her children light up her eyes, and indeed they are beautiful and well-behaved children. I see the pain of her past behind her eyes, but she gives of a positive and pleasant attitude.
Servanthood is not only helping those who say "thank you" but also extending the hand to those who push your hand away. It is not serving while grumbling under your breath at the defiant attitude of one while smiling at the other; it is being gracious to both, even when you feel the opposite...
I am greeted by a harsh reality every day I go to work. A reality that many Americans face on a daily basis. Working but not earning enough to get by, or lacking skills to get ahead; sometimes caught in a self-destructive cycle of unemployment, laziness, or lack budgeting skills. A reality of an unstable economy, a reality of companies refusing to give a worker his workman's comp after being injured on the job. A reality of unexpected pitfalls and the lack of resources to rebound.
A reality I feel that the leaders of this country are incresingly out of touch with, and are blinded by their own self-absorbtion to see...
Yesterday and today were warm, unusually warm for this time of year...I'm wondering when the cold winter is going to hit. Because mid 60's and clear skies aren't going to last forever.
I am experiencing much in my job at a homeless shelter. Recently there was a resident whom I am utterly repulsed by and yet have compassion for, especially her 20 month old daugher. This 20 year old mother of one and pregnant with another one carries around a load of negative energy; it's frightening. She is big for her age and looks older than she is, yet she acts as like a child. She doesn't want to do any more than the minimum requirement, and she'll find any loophole or difference in staff's words and exploit it. She was dismissed after a long line of rule violations; she was very defensive to any amount of constructive criticism, direction, or authority. She expected to receive everything she believed she was "entitled" to. She held an attitude of "me and my child against the world". The child was treated more as a burden or pawn than a beautiful young girl. And the sad thing is, that she may grow up and continue the destructive cycle her mother is leading. What other example does she have? I pray for the little girl...and for the young mother...and maybe one day see that she has a lot to learn about the world and doesn't know it all -- no one does...
On the other side of the spectrum, there is a resident who recently relocated from another state. She left an abusive marriage to an alcoholic and is in the middle of a bitter custody battle. She is out every day looking for work, looking for daycare for her children. She is a strong, independent woman, trying to get her life back together. Her children light up her eyes, and indeed they are beautiful and well-behaved children. I see the pain of her past behind her eyes, but she gives of a positive and pleasant attitude.
Servanthood is not only helping those who say "thank you" but also extending the hand to those who push your hand away. It is not serving while grumbling under your breath at the defiant attitude of one while smiling at the other; it is being gracious to both, even when you feel the opposite...
I am greeted by a harsh reality every day I go to work. A reality that many Americans face on a daily basis. Working but not earning enough to get by, or lacking skills to get ahead; sometimes caught in a self-destructive cycle of unemployment, laziness, or lack budgeting skills. A reality of an unstable economy, a reality of companies refusing to give a worker his workman's comp after being injured on the job. A reality of unexpected pitfalls and the lack of resources to rebound.
A reality I feel that the leaders of this country are incresingly out of touch with, and are blinded by their own self-absorbtion to see...