Tuesday September 6, 2022
Tonight was poetry and helpers.
Each week I bring a notebook with me so that I can take notes and not forget details. More importantly, one of the many people I met that night could fall beneath the many layered scenes I enter, or stories I witness. When I get home at the end of the adventure, I reread them and tell you what I can of what you want to know. Here are tonight’s notes, and then the stories behind them:
3 kids on bikes
gave purse to a lady
Lady is clean
Trying to be all the way
Another lady on the side of the road
Man who lived in neighborhood 12 years
wants to help
is always helping
Used to harm, now he helps
Putting batteries in flashlights
Black boys on dirt bikes
And white girl with handbags
Mouths and hands open
For brown bags and purses
blankets and light
(An old man wants something mall enough)
Old man insisted God had many names.
“Believe it!”
1 more couple after we thought we were done
1 by 1 they come
G- Helper girl
Autumn is the mother of Summer
Her boyfriend died.
The first time the caravan pulled over was to assist a woman who was walking down the side of the road. Three young boys, probably aged 10-12 rode up on dirt bikes and asked if we were okay. They wanted to make sure we weren’t broke down. The back of the van was up and a boy asked for a bottle of water. Then it became “If you give mouse a cookie”. Because if you give a boy water, you’ll give him and extra cookie, which will lead to needing a bag, which will lead to can I give that bottle of body spray to my mom, then they trade, then a handbag, no that handbag, now they want a regular bag and they will give away the handbag to a homeless person for us.
I watched their slender shadows shrink as the boys glided down city street and past the bridge that loomed between a wooded lot and a vacant one. Eventually their shadows touched a shadow that was then slowly growing larger as it limped towards the bridge. The boys handed her the handbag, as promised, and continued their youthful hijinx around the next street corner.
The medical team was still assisting the first person we saw. Eventually, the shadow limped up to our van. She was struggling but trying her hardest. She told me that some kids gave her a purse and told her that if she was hungry, we would help her. They were correct. We helped her meet some of her survival needs. Then, we talked about the progress she had made. Their were a lot of people she had lost to drugs, but the one who had beat drugs really inspired her. So for all you Quitters out there: You are someone else’s reason they believe they can quit, too. It’s powerful stuff.
A man walked up to us and asked if he could donate to us. He’s lived in the neighborhood for 12 years. He tries to help in every and anyway he can. He leaves out food. I gave him my card. Andy gave him narcan and showed him how to use it.
BTW, I have narcan at home. Message me if you want any for any reason. I don’t care.
We only went to a few spots tonight. The next spot felt like a trickle. In a way, that’s kind of the best. Then we can help a lot of people, but still get the opportunity to talk to each person. We care about their stories. We want to know if there is something else that either I, or one of the other team member can do to help.
The next spot was all it took to empty the van. One by one, they came from out of the alley’s, or a piece of a shadow would break off and walk towards us. One by one, they came. They came hungry, they came nearly naked. Grown men came up to me begging for hygiene products and socks.
I had pepper spray and flashlights. Now, 19 more women and 1 man do.
40 more meals were served.
30 Mags bags. I would have made more, but I am out of women’ feminine hygiene products and also deodorant.
We went through all of it in 3 hours.
I heard some truly inspiring stories of survival tonight. I had the privilege of serving people alongside some of the most brilliant volunteers I have ever heard of. I sat down in the dirt (literally) with my clients/friends tonight. We talked about what mattered to us. It’s unexpected the things you can live without that you never thought you could, or would. It’s surprising when you can’t live without something that you can hardly remember choosing.
Remember, at Magdalene’s Mission we don’t judge ya’-
we just love ya!
Because that’s how we do it in Detroit. Amen.
#peaceloveandhygiene #magdalenesmission #Detroit
