April 12, 2022
The theme for this week is The Parts that Make a Whole. This week was truly great. I was blessed to have help from friends this week and it really made a difference. First, enough can’t be said to praise my friend Jennifer Crandall. She has enormous health complications right now, but she is determined to find a purpose, even through her trials. I understand that completely in my own way. Her epic contribution this week was to do some of the busy work that ties me up from doing the big stuff. She packed little cutlery/napkin baggies for me. She broke down into baggies nearly a case of baby wipes, and she also broke down a couple packages of cotton swabs that I use to out in the Mag Bags. She saved me hours of what would have been for me, tedious work. Instead, I could pack hygiene kits and undertake 45 portions of chili. My beloved Marti Towas made chicken and peanut butter jelly samiches. She also went the extra mile and donated bananas, oranges, and cookies. Ann Janike brought me some of Kathy’s famous homemade desserts.
I used up the last of the lotion, shampoo/conditioners, and deodorants, but I still had 25 women’s bags, and 15 for men.
We had 4 totes full of clothes. We made sure to bring a tent.
We stayed mainly on the southwest side of Detroit tonight. Here, we find a lot of people just walking around, or trying to find someplace to just be. Most of the people here live in anything abandoned. We were able to give the tent away to someone tonight. This guy thought his tent was hidden well enough, but the property manager discovered it and got rid of it. He was really excited about not having to sleep outside. He asked us for a flashlight, but we were fresh out. Traci gave him the one she had on her purse. He told us that the LED lights from the dollar store were helpful at night. I’ll have to keep my eye out.
One of the places we were requested to come to is becoming more important each week. It’s several people in this one tiny spot that make up the whole experience. There is a sweet little Puerto Rican lady who I talked to for a bit tonight. She and her husband live in a tiny apartment. She asked me if we ever have pillows. She really missed pillows. She’s struggling to keep up with the rent that is already late, so the little extras that I gave her are going to make all the difference for her and her husband. She really needed the blanket. The best part for me was when she came back and told me that her husband said my chili was amazing. Better than Wendy’s. Better even than his own mother’s.
Honestly, that was the highlight of my night.
My ‘Window Who Sits’ seems to be having a change of luck. Her living situation has upgraded slightly. She’s still homeless, but in a place more secure than a tent. Her boyfriend found a way to access electricity. She was in such a great mood. Almost everyone was happy tonight.
It had to be that big fat bath of sunshine we all took today. It was like a big dose of vitamin D for Delightful. The smiles were contagious.
I received a donation of 2 cans of pepper spray in the mail. 2 more women were ecstatic.
We passed out A LOT of socks.
All these little things mean the world when you don’t have it. The world is a scary place. It’s also filled with mostly people who are just trying their best. Every person is unique. So, for every person, there best is a different unique gift. That’s one of the things I love about Magdalene’s Mission. I get to collect physical gifts, monetary gifts, gifts of time, of skill, of experience. I put them all together, and it becomes a whole major philanthropic endeavor to heal humanity. If even one among us is suffering, then the whole is not well. Each donation we distribute is a blessing that someone will share.
Parts of a whole.
What about the parts of a hole? I think that is relevant to this analogy as well. There is opening on top of the hole. That’s where we fall in at. Where you were standing on the ground, now you are falling down. There are the sides of the hole. That becomes the walls of our prison. Sometimes we claw the sides to keep from sliding further down. Then there is the bottom of the hole. That’s the lowest point of our existence.
Sometimes, someone drops a flashlight down to the bottom of the hole. The flashlight won’t lift you out, but it will help you to see the ladder running up the side of the hole. If you are willing to climb out, if you’re willing to do the work it takes to get there, then at least you can see the way back up again.
I want to be the flashlight. Drop me in.
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit. Amen.
#peaceloveandhygiene #magdalenesmission
