Ramblings

"People who are homeless are not social inadequates.  They are people without homes." 
Sheila McKechnie

I saw this quote this afternoon and have been thinking about what it's saying and reflecting on how I honestly believe that a majority of the people that I know wouldn't agree with this statement.  The worst part of my believing that is that a majority of the people that I know are Christians....people who profess to follow Jesus.  The same Jesus that cared more about the poor and downtrodden than anyone else.  He came to save these people just as much as he came to save any of us.  So why is this social stigma so present in our minds and why is that I walk away discouraged so many times when I talk about my work to people I know?

I'm not about to say that I don't have days at work where the people that I'm serving frustrate me and wear right down to the very last nerve I have in my body.  Sometimes they don't have the normal social cues and they don't know when they are pressing someone's buttons.  Either that or they don't care.  But regardless, I think it's really important to remember why it is that they are in that place in their lives....what brought them there.  The very first month of me working at the House of Charity revolved around training us on homelessness and making sure that we were equipped to handle people who are suffering due to trauma in their lives.  I love listening to my co-worker Edward take junior high kids on Urban Plunges at work...because his "trauma talk" always comes into play.  Edward gets the idea of trauma more than any of us....he understands it and he doesn't forget the trauma that people have dealt with when he interacts with them.  That person that doesn't know how to interact with his peers and with authority figures, that person who can't seem to quit drinking or using, that person who can't hold down a job or can't pick himself up off the ground to even look for one.....that person almost always has a reason for being that way.  And its usually more difficult than we can understand.  I think people who have grown up in solid or even mildly functional homes forget that life isn't as neat and tidy as that all the time. 

I think what I've learned more than anything working where I do is that I'm no different from or better than any of these people.  So I graduated college, grew up in a great home, have managed to maintain a pretty stable mental state, and have my health.....but I'm two steps away at any point from losing my job, losing my family, alienating my friends, having a mental breakdown, or facing any other kind of disaster.  Upon any of those things happening, the most comforting thing could be alcohol.  Or sex.  Or drugs.  It would be a lot harder to make my way to that point considering the support I have and the people who care about me, but I know that I work every day with people who never ever imagined they would find themselves in the spot they are finding themselves in.  So what makes us better?  Just that we haven't reached that point?  Or that we may never reach that point? 

We've been talking a lot in church lately about the poor and organizations within our city that are serving them.  I'm really proud to be working in an organization that is serving people who desperately need the assistance.  I love House of Charity's no strings attached attitude....I love that I get to go to work every day and be reminded that I'm not as cool as I think I am....and that I have a lot of learning to do.  Loving people who are hard to love is really difficult...and I definitely miss opportunities to show Christ's love.  They say social work has a high burnout rate, and I can vouch for that. By about noon all of the generosity in my bones has left....but God reminds me continually that this is important to him and that every person is important to him.  It's a continual struggle to remember that and implement that, because selfishly...its hard.

Just on a little update about work, I am planning on being at House of Charity basically until they kick me out!  I have experienced some really hard moments, but overwhelmingly, I am very much enjoying my job.  I'm not sure it would be accurate to say I have a knack for it, I just love the challenge and I feel like I'm growing.  I guess when I quit feeling like that, it will be time to leave!  I have officially given word that I'd like to return for a 2nd year as an Americorps, and then I'm hoping and praying that a job will magically appear once I'm done doing that!  Also in the job realm, long term I'm looking to get my Masters in Social Work and continue to work in this field.  I can't say I'll stick with the homeless population forever, as its top of the line on the difficult scale, but its been a great experience.  I'd give my right arm and right leg to work with College Bound again....so maybe by the time I get my Masters someone in that program will be looking at retirement and want to give me their job?!  :)

Hope all is well with everyone! 

In completely unrelated news, I'm moving....into my first apartment all by myself!  To say I'm excited is a pretty gross understatement.  I've been wanting this for quite some time, and I'm just ready to make the space my own and take a more active role in my own life.  I feel like living alone forces you to gain a real sense of independence and comfort in your own skin.  Also equally exciting....I'm flying to Ireland in exactly a month.  Be praying that I don't lose my mind with the busy-ness of work and moving houses and packing for Ireland....it will be a challenge.