April 6, 2022
The theme for this week has got to be, Good Vibes. It was a little bit weird, a dash of crazy, and a whole lotta love.
Let me start out by saying that I have seen the best of people when they make donations to Magdalene’s Mission. This week, an angel named Lillian dropped off an enormous box on my front door. I had to wait for Sean to come home to help me get it inside the house. I couldn’t even budge it. Inside was everything I could ever ask for, plus a few things that I hadn’t even thought to ask for. Everything was useful and clever. There was a bunch of the drawstring backpacks and a few nice purses. I was able to stock up the Mag Bag nice this week. I was proud. Ruth came to the rescue and restocked my pepper spray. Ann Stocked me up with a box of Rice Crispy treats. I used cans of donated beans, a donated ham, some canned carrots, chopped onions, and my secret blend of herbs and spices, and Viola! Homemade beans and ham soup. It was so delicious; the kids ate a cup before we left.
Unfortunately, Traci has been under the weather and needed to stay back this week. A lot of people asked about her. Her infectious smile was missed. I had my kid Marley with me as co-pilot instead. Marley handles food distribution. Tonight, there was plenty in each meal. She had her hands full. The night began with a lot of people in the caravan. It was a full team of doctors, nurses and harm reduction volunteers. There was also a new group that came out with us. They work in a community leadership capacity. I’ll share more about them soon.
The spirits rose with the temperatures. The renewal of life is in the air. There are little, tiny green buds of hope at the ends of everyone’s fingertips. I passed out my car to several new people. We made some new friends. I hugged so many homeless people tonight. What can I say? It’s Springtime! Love is in the air! Lots of empathic enthusiasm regarding the pepper spray. My goal is to eventually train these creepers to know not to try it on a Detroit girl. Andy gets a secret pleasure from knowing that we arm the women of the night. I love that dude. Detroit loves him, too.
By the time we got to base, it was time to head out. Along the way Marley and I saw a big fat hen and this enormous scraggly rooster hanging out in front of a house that was next to a bridge that went over the expressway. It was so incongruous. Our first visit was to meet up with a young homeless couple. They were humble and polite. They asked about help getting housing. Apparently, that is something that needs to be addressed for a lot of people.
As we left the Meijer parking lot, we saw homeless man begging for change. One of the other team members recognized him. We all pulled over and we gathered our wares. Then Katie ran everything down to him herself, so as not to scare him.
I met another person who was shelter challenged and was grateful for the tent. I had a nice thick mat, a pillow, and a blanket to give him as well. He said he was looking forward to getting some actual rest. I got to see some girls I hadn’t seen in a while. That’s always an emotional exhale.
We drove to six more stops. By the time we hit our final stop of the evening, we were nearly out of food clothes and Mag Bags. It’s my favorite spot though, so I couldn’t wait to take Marley and introduce her to everyone. My friend who was supposed to go to rehab told me she was turned down. She has an appointment to go to another one. At Least 2 other people there have said they thought maybe they could do it this time. They are going to try. It’s not a matter of desire. Most of the people I meet desperately want to quit. They just don’t think it’s possible.
I told my girl that I’m on her side. I told her I believed that she was capable of anything. I believe in her. I’ll be her biggest cheerleader to go. I’ll celebrate her battles won. I’ll brush off her battles lost.
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit. Amen.
#magdalenesmission #peaceloveandhygiene
