People Need People

Monday, she stood, big smile, full of excitement, keys dangling from slim black fingers, interrupting conversations with a gleeful, "I got it, I got my apartment!" A week or so ago, she was discouraged. She'd been walking around, worrying about how she would pay the almost $600 electric bill. When she came into the Emancipation Station as down as down could be and expressed her concern--concern about giving up--concern about going back to....whatever, she found that a "Good Samaritan" had left a check.

Tuesday, Lisa and her girls stopped by. It was too busy! Seventeen people gathered for the class--chopping, dicing, boiling among the bags of food waiting to be taken home. In the midst of organized chaos, Lisa and her girls, much taller now, a small island of tranquility chatting about delivering meals to seniors and even more importantly, being a familiar face and smile and providing a little conversation--a personal touch.

Wednesday, he came to the door-- cold. "Do we have a coat? And some pants so I can look for a job? I just got out of jail." I exclaim, "This is not the men's clothing day! Oh well, come on in anyway." "I found pants and some shirts is it okay?" Yeah! God bless!

She's in her apartment sleeping on the floor. Already, she's invited another homeless women to sleep on her floor too--away from the cold and uncertainty until she can find another shelter. Almost at the dollar store she says, "You have a kind heart. When I didn't have no place to sleep this lady took me in and fed me. After I had eaten I asked her name and she mine. The next day,I told her where I was going and she said, 'I know that lady. She picked me up from the bus stop when I had so much stuff and took me to my burned apartment, helped me gather what I could and moved me to my new place.' " I think that quotation mark is in the wrong place but that's not the point. The point is people need people. We are connected in ways we can't imagine. I had forgotten that women, never to remember her face, the corner, the scorched apartment nor the fatigue of loading all that stuff in my car but she had not forgotten me. Yeah, we need each other.