So I just got married. I’m telling you because my coworkers have heard it ad nauseam and I need a new audience. I’m actually telling you because the wedding was the setting for something I witnessed re: inspiring others. I try to live life in a healthy, motivating way that will inspire others to contribute to the world around them – and the opportunity presents itself every day.
Our wedding reception was held in a building owned by a local charity. All profit that was being made from our dinner and dance was going directly back into a charity’s bank account in order to help sustain the work they do. For that opportunity to touch lives with our wedding, I am grateful. Instead of letting our guests tink their glasses for us to kiss, they had to make a donation in the jar at the front. 10 minutes before the reception, our emcee said he wanted to set an example; donate a loonie, have us sorta-kiss, donate another loonie, have us sorta-kiss again, and then donate $5 and, well, this is a family show.
This simple example he provided inspired the room. People were ‘upping the ante,’ if you will, and my groom and I were almost running out of creative/funny/entertaining ways to kiss. Before we could blink, the two youngest attendees (10 and 13) struck up a fundraising campaign. They scoured the room, wheeled and dealed to try and get as much money in one shot for the ‘best’ kiss of the night. They raised $125. Two kids. Raised $125. To see my husband and I kiss. All this fun competition, inspiring creativity and motivating compassion all came because our emcee showed people how to do it. There is no doubt in my mind that there are so many people out there who do, genuinely, want to help – they just don’t know how, and don’t have time to figure it out. Sometimes they just need to be asked! It’s up to those of us who do know how they can help to show them and make their action easier to perform.
What inspiration have you seen or been part of?
(Oh, and PS, the $125 kiss involved acapella from the bridesmaids and a human pyramid with the groomsmen. That information alone is probably worth you clicking the subscribe link in the sidebar and leaving a comment below. Just sayin’)
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
This Blanket, Woven with Love
Homelessness is often viewed by society as something that is a choice; you can choose to work, be productive, take care of yourself or you can choose to be lazy, sleep on the streets and demand that society provide for you.
This thinking has allowed us to consider homelessness as a ‘norm’ of society rather than a plague that we must be involved in creating a solution for. Illness, loss of job, mental illness, a sick child, rental increases, the list goes on and on and all of these things can cause homelessness.
I was gifted with this poem a few years ago, from a man who was homeless and lost because he had lost his family when he was quite young and his heart just never recovered. He wrote this poem for his brother who had died homeless, alone and wrapped in the baby blanket his mother had made for him. He is a man who still believes that he will have a better life, he will recover from his losses and he will matter, somehow, to someone.
When you walk by that homeless person in your community remember, he is a son, she is a daughter, they are parents, they are scared and alone. They are part of your community.
This blanket woven with love and care
Is laid over a newborn, frightened and bare.
They are held close in arms, tender, secure
And a mother dreams of her son’s future.
The little boy grows, watched by loving eyes
As he explores his world, its wonder, its size.
He knows the mother is close, is near
And he ventures his world without question or fear.
One day he comes home and his world is now gone
The house has been burned, his mother to the beyond.
So he takes up his blanket and a picture so worn
And walks away from the place he was born.
His heart is aching and his feet are so sore
He cannot find what he had before.
The blanket is dirty, he sleeps in a box
Afraid of the dark and no doors, no locks.
The man watches life, go past, go by
And the tears are now silent, he cannot even cry.
He doesn’t wish to be, it hurts to go on
He pulls the blanket close and waits for the dawn.
The winter steals in, steals his breath, ends his strife
The worn little blanket covers the end of his life.
And I mourn my brother who I loved so dear
Because without mother he forgot I was here.
So I walk the streets, await my turn to be free
My mother and brother have both now left me.
The blanket I carry, right next to my heart
So that it might some day, hug me when I depart.
By Derek, for my Mike
- Deb Runnals, Street Level Manager
This thinking has allowed us to consider homelessness as a ‘norm’ of society rather than a plague that we must be involved in creating a solution for. Illness, loss of job, mental illness, a sick child, rental increases, the list goes on and on and all of these things can cause homelessness.
I was gifted with this poem a few years ago, from a man who was homeless and lost because he had lost his family when he was quite young and his heart just never recovered. He wrote this poem for his brother who had died homeless, alone and wrapped in the baby blanket his mother had made for him. He is a man who still believes that he will have a better life, he will recover from his losses and he will matter, somehow, to someone.
When you walk by that homeless person in your community remember, he is a son, she is a daughter, they are parents, they are scared and alone. They are part of your community.
This blanket woven with love and care
Is laid over a newborn, frightened and bare.
They are held close in arms, tender, secure
And a mother dreams of her son’s future.
The little boy grows, watched by loving eyes
As he explores his world, its wonder, its size.
He knows the mother is close, is near
And he ventures his world without question or fear.
One day he comes home and his world is now gone
The house has been burned, his mother to the beyond.
So he takes up his blanket and a picture so worn
And walks away from the place he was born.
His heart is aching and his feet are so sore
He cannot find what he had before.
The blanket is dirty, he sleeps in a box
Afraid of the dark and no doors, no locks.
The man watches life, go past, go by
And the tears are now silent, he cannot even cry.
He doesn’t wish to be, it hurts to go on
He pulls the blanket close and waits for the dawn.
The winter steals in, steals his breath, ends his strife
The worn little blanket covers the end of his life.
And I mourn my brother who I loved so dear
Because without mother he forgot I was here.
So I walk the streets, await my turn to be free
My mother and brother have both now left me.
The blanket I carry, right next to my heart
So that it might some day, hug me when I depart.
By Derek, for my Mike
- Deb Runnals, Street Level Manager
Monday, October 24, 2011
Clothed in Dignity
A woman came to the doors of my office today naked. Well, not totally naked (thank goodness), but I was surprised as I was leaving work for the day to find a woman with no pants, socks, or shoes standing at the door shivering in the shadow of the building and the cool fall air. As I was gathering items to give to the woman at the door, I had to chuckle to myself at the sometimes blatant ways that God pushes his way into my life. It brought to mind the verse in Mathew where Jesus said, “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Despite the fact that I work with the hungry, the sick, the lonely, the poor, the oppressed, I often seem to lose perspective on my purpose. I begin to forget what it’s all about; I often ask myself, “Am I really doing anything that matters?”
I brought her some clothes and left for the day, but it did cause me to question myself. How can I give a naked woman clothes and then hop in my car and drive away unchanged? How in this day and age can some members in our society make million and billion dollar salaries each year and others end up at the doors of The Mustard Seed with no pants on? How can this happen and how can I continue to live this privileged lifestyle that perpetuates the systems that make this phenomenon possible? Even as I write this I am sitting drinking a latte at a chain coffee shop whose CEO probably makes more in a year than I will in a lifetime. Perhaps it was just the shock seeing a half-naked person on the steps that shook me out of my complacency for the day, something you don’t see too often, but this woman reminded me in a very real way why we are called the Mustard Seed and why, even though I can’t change the world in all the ways I want to, I choose to work for an organization that is able to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. At The Mustard Seed we hope that even the little things make a big difference. Human dignity is important and we hope that even something as small as a pair of pants, a hot meal, or a smile can make a big difference towards restoring some of that dignity that has been stripped away.
- Paula, The Mustard Seed Edmonton
I brought her some clothes and left for the day, but it did cause me to question myself. How can I give a naked woman clothes and then hop in my car and drive away unchanged? How in this day and age can some members in our society make million and billion dollar salaries each year and others end up at the doors of The Mustard Seed with no pants on? How can this happen and how can I continue to live this privileged lifestyle that perpetuates the systems that make this phenomenon possible? Even as I write this I am sitting drinking a latte at a chain coffee shop whose CEO probably makes more in a year than I will in a lifetime. Perhaps it was just the shock seeing a half-naked person on the steps that shook me out of my complacency for the day, something you don’t see too often, but this woman reminded me in a very real way why we are called the Mustard Seed and why, even though I can’t change the world in all the ways I want to, I choose to work for an organization that is able to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. At The Mustard Seed we hope that even the little things make a big difference. Human dignity is important and we hope that even something as small as a pair of pants, a hot meal, or a smile can make a big difference towards restoring some of that dignity that has been stripped away.
- Paula, The Mustard Seed Edmonton
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
"If you leave me alone..."
I’m in a room with concrete floors, temporary walls and full of people. All of us are awestruck by the stark story of Brian who sits with his tattooed arms crossed over a tired, 60 year old frame. He opens up to us all, sharing a life story littered with incarceration, speckled with homeless nights and echoing of a journey full of memories impossible to forget. From what he can remember, his story began when he was left orphaned in downtown Toronto at the age of two. It moved through teenage years where he and many forgotten children found their way into gangs for camaraderie, the kind of support that grows into organized crime. The way Brian tells it, he didn’t view homelessness and crime as a choice. He considered it a form of survival.
He’s home now, in an apartment of his own and no longer refers to himself as a client of any particular agency. Instead, he says that he’s a member of an Edmonton church, an employee with an understanding boss and a mentor to others who find themselves on the difficult road home. Peering out of tired eyes, he tells us it took him over a year to grow the courage to speak to anyone at church. So disenfranchised over a lifetime, he couldn’t even grocery shop, let alone make small talk. He simply had no common ground and no language for ‘being normal’.
As the story went on, what seared into my soul was when Brian said, ‘if you leave me alone, I will return to what I know…’ referencing a return to a previous life of survival. It was both a threat and a statement of fact. Bigger prisons and being tough on crime will not keep Brian from re-offending. Each and every day, he finds the courage to be committed to living on this side of prison bars because of the community that embraces him: his friends, his church and the mentees that remind him of his long journey. For Brian, ending homelessness was more than an apartment. It was the building of community that grows hope and sustains change.
Where would you be if left alone?
Friday, October 14, 2011
So What's With All This Community?
At The Mustard Seed we talk a lot about community— we have a community garden, community volunteers, do community recreation, have a community advocate and a community pastor.
What does all this ‘community’ mean at The Mustard Seed? It means that we believe in the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment for people to build healthy relationships and uncover and develop their gifts in their physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual lives. We believe that every person we serve in a meal line, or help in the food depot, or provide clothes to, has unique strengths and gifts, skills and potential.
Living in poverty or being homeless means that you are constantly bombarded with messages (verbally or otherwise) that constantly focus on what you lack. When you spend your days trying to find food, housing, clothing, or a job you are always having to tell people what you need or what you're lacking. Often people get to the point that they feel like they don't have anything to offer. So at The Mustard Seed we are trying to change that thinking to say 'hey you have some great things to offer us too!'
An example was at our first art show last November at the Jeff Allen Art. We've had an art program for more than 5 years and this was the first time that the art had been framed and available for purchase. The artists were at the opening reception and were proudly showing off their work for all to see. At the end of the night one of the artists had sold 3 of her painting and kept on saying over and over again "I'm sooooo proud of myself, I'm sooo proud! I can't believe that I sold 3 paintings!!"
So the next time you hear the word community think about people caring about people to help them uncover their skills and potential!
What does all this ‘community’ mean at The Mustard Seed? It means that we believe in the importance of creating a safe and supportive environment for people to build healthy relationships and uncover and develop their gifts in their physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual lives. We believe that every person we serve in a meal line, or help in the food depot, or provide clothes to, has unique strengths and gifts, skills and potential.
Living in poverty or being homeless means that you are constantly bombarded with messages (verbally or otherwise) that constantly focus on what you lack. When you spend your days trying to find food, housing, clothing, or a job you are always having to tell people what you need or what you're lacking. Often people get to the point that they feel like they don't have anything to offer. So at The Mustard Seed we are trying to change that thinking to say 'hey you have some great things to offer us too!'
An example was at our first art show last November at the Jeff Allen Art. We've had an art program for more than 5 years and this was the first time that the art had been framed and available for purchase. The artists were at the opening reception and were proudly showing off their work for all to see. At the end of the night one of the artists had sold 3 of her painting and kept on saying over and over again "I'm sooooo proud of myself, I'm sooo proud! I can't believe that I sold 3 paintings!!"
So the next time you hear the word community think about people caring about people to help them uncover their skills and potential!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Wide (and Wild) World of Work
Tucked away in an office at the end of the hallway in The Creative Centre, I could very easily go unnoticed as I plug away making phone calls to potential employers for our guests. Instead, however, I have been encouraged to “hit the road” by getting out and meeting these employers, to see firsthand where they work and what they do, all in the name of uncovering sustainable work opportunities for our guests.
Since The Employment Centre launch on August 2, we’ve had over 75 guests come through an intake, making them “clients” of our program. The range of industries and jobs on their resumés is extensive, as is the range of jobs they hope to do as they strive towards sustainable employment. When we first started the program, the big push was for general labour and construction jobs, but I’m pleased to report that with creativity and open minds, we’ve gone far beyond the original plan, making “hitting the road” a lot more interesting.
I’ve been able to get out and explore some worksites I truly never imagined I’d see. All in one day, I visited a downtown commercial cleaning company, an organic worm farm and the head office of Samaritan’s Purse. I’ve also toured a dry-cleaning facility, a grocery store warehouse and a welding shop (which, might I add, has hired one of our clients full-time!), to name a few more. It has truly been eye-opening, and I hope that this little blog post has been this way for you as well, as you think about the connections you might have to the business community. We all have networks, and though we may not think they’d be a “fit” to hire our guests, it’s always worth a try. As we’ve already seen, a little creativity and a few open minds can go a long way. We’re all here to see real life-change with our guests, so here’s just one more way you can be a part of it!
Since The Employment Centre launch on August 2, we’ve had over 75 guests come through an intake, making them “clients” of our program. The range of industries and jobs on their resumés is extensive, as is the range of jobs they hope to do as they strive towards sustainable employment. When we first started the program, the big push was for general labour and construction jobs, but I’m pleased to report that with creativity and open minds, we’ve gone far beyond the original plan, making “hitting the road” a lot more interesting.
I’ve been able to get out and explore some worksites I truly never imagined I’d see. All in one day, I visited a downtown commercial cleaning company, an organic worm farm and the head office of Samaritan’s Purse. I’ve also toured a dry-cleaning facility, a grocery store warehouse and a welding shop (which, might I add, has hired one of our clients full-time!), to name a few more. It has truly been eye-opening, and I hope that this little blog post has been this way for you as well, as you think about the connections you might have to the business community. We all have networks, and though we may not think they’d be a “fit” to hire our guests, it’s always worth a try. As we’ve already seen, a little creativity and a few open minds can go a long way. We’re all here to see real life-change with our guests, so here’s just one more way you can be a part of it!
Friday, October 07, 2011
There's Hope! Taking Positive Steps Towards Change
One day I witnessed a ragtag homeless man being shooed away from the mall even if he wanted to buy his coffee just like everybody else. I have countless stories about employers who won’t employ a homeless person or terminate employment when they discover the homelessness.
Once a person becomes homeless, rarely does the larger society care to know what caused that. A stonewall is formed where stereotypes, misconceptions and prejudices flourish to the extent of someone being barred from buying a cup of coffee at a mall.
As such, The Mustard Seed work is monumental. By “intentionally following Jesus Christ” we are able to locate the problems of homeless in the proper context. When people start on drugs or depend on alcohol or put faith in gambling, that’s actually a spiritual crisis. When they abandon or cannot nurture their own kids in the right way of God, the spiritual crisis becomes a community and national problem. Not everyone we serve at The Mustard Seed is struggling with addiction, gambling or alcohol. A great number of people were in fruitful relationships or marriages once, but something small went wrong and they lost all their supports.
From working at the Shelter, I have had the privilege to see guests receive those needed supports to start to address change in their lives. Those guests who take the largest positive steps take the spiritual route: they seek Christ for strength.
The other day, Mark, a former guest I was somewhat scared of when I first began working at the Shelter, paid me a visit. He still called me “Mr Spike Lee.” He was looking really great! He talked about the peace he has, how his marriage has been recovered and how he’s happy about everything. He clearly told me God had saved him from the clutches of his drug and alcohol life.
Another time I bumped into another former guest, John, driving his Jeep Cherokee. He has now found good work in the oil and gas industry. He said too it was God’s love that saved and helped him out of his homelessness.
Everybody falls on hard times sometimes and The Mustard Seed affords such people a second chance to reconstruct their lives.
-Josiah, Overnight Support Worker at the Shelter
Once a person becomes homeless, rarely does the larger society care to know what caused that. A stonewall is formed where stereotypes, misconceptions and prejudices flourish to the extent of someone being barred from buying a cup of coffee at a mall.
As such, The Mustard Seed work is monumental. By “intentionally following Jesus Christ” we are able to locate the problems of homeless in the proper context. When people start on drugs or depend on alcohol or put faith in gambling, that’s actually a spiritual crisis. When they abandon or cannot nurture their own kids in the right way of God, the spiritual crisis becomes a community and national problem. Not everyone we serve at The Mustard Seed is struggling with addiction, gambling or alcohol. A great number of people were in fruitful relationships or marriages once, but something small went wrong and they lost all their supports.
From working at the Shelter, I have had the privilege to see guests receive those needed supports to start to address change in their lives. Those guests who take the largest positive steps take the spiritual route: they seek Christ for strength.
The other day, Mark, a former guest I was somewhat scared of when I first began working at the Shelter, paid me a visit. He still called me “Mr Spike Lee.” He was looking really great! He talked about the peace he has, how his marriage has been recovered and how he’s happy about everything. He clearly told me God had saved him from the clutches of his drug and alcohol life.
Another time I bumped into another former guest, John, driving his Jeep Cherokee. He has now found good work in the oil and gas industry. He said too it was God’s love that saved and helped him out of his homelessness.
Everybody falls on hard times sometimes and The Mustard Seed affords such people a second chance to reconstruct their lives.
-Josiah, Overnight Support Worker at the Shelter
Thursday, October 06, 2011
God Loves us Where We're at
Yesterday was my 1 year anniversary working for The Mustard Seed.
One of my favourite experiences working at the Shelter was when a guest started asking me questions about being a Christian. He knew I was an ex-addict and an ex-convict and because he had been an addict for 30 years and spent over 20 years in prison, he felt he could relate to me and my experiences. I asked Bob what he wanted to know, and he said, "Well, I want to know more about being a Christian." He then asked me to share my life story and how I came to know God personally. I shared in detail about my history with drug addiction, the prison system and what lead me to having a relationship with Jesus. Bob said, “I’m interested. What do we do now?” I really wasn’t experienced in this at all, as I had never seen anyone at the point where they wanted to invite Jesus into their life. So I decided to go and ask another staff member to help me. Bob came with me to the front, I introduced Bob to the other staff member and then Bob said, “I don’t know you and can’t relate to you, but I know Jason.” So I took the plunge and prayed with Bob myself. He cried and invited Jesus into his life. After, we hugged and I told him that he was loved exactly were he was at and that God loved him too much to keep him where he was! By far, all my past experiences in life were worth it because it helped Bob feel like he wasn’t alone and that someone else who’s been through what he’s been through can be loved by God. I look forward to seeing Bob again some day.
By Jason (Aftercare Worker)
Bob-His real name was changed
Monday, October 03, 2011
Toilet Paper or Milk?
I stood in line at the supermarket with my lonely frozen pizza in hand. As I placed my pizza on the conveyer and waited my turn, the elderly woman in front of me was inputting her PIN into the pinpad and the cashier was counting a series of pennies on the counter. “I can take 22 cents off,” she says, as she finishes counting the coins. “You’re not going to have enough,” she states next as I see the elderly woman has handed her an ATM slip with her bank account balance. It hits me with hurricane force that between the pennies on the counter and the balance in her bank, she can’t pay for her grocery bill. Then I look up and see her grocery bill is $8.80 and consists of toilet paper and milk. $8.80. Toilet paper and milk. That’s it. “Which would you like to leave? The milk?” “Yes, the milk,” she says, as my heart tears into jagged pieces and the cashier voids the item. My mind was racing about how unfair it was for this woman to choose between those two necessary items.
What is this woman’s story? Where is her community? Where are the people who love and care for her and make sure she has toilet paper and milk in her home – even if she can’t afford it? This woman could be a horrible person who steals and spends her money on terrible things, I don’t know. The point was, at that very moment she was in need of help. Plainly put, I’m a stranger in a store, she doesn’t know me from Eve, and I’m one of the three people witnessing this woman’s financial shortfall, grocery bagger and cashier included. And the realization was – her community was me. I harp on all day about building community, growing hope and supporting change. Here was an opportunity to do perhaps all three.
“I’ll pay for your milk,” I said as I stepped to where her and the cashier could hear me. She didn’t insist otherwise, but instead asked if I was sure, and then thanked me repeatedly. I handed the cashier a $5 bill to cover the cost of the milk and then a bit more. $3.80 was the woman’s new total, and as she continued thanking me, her last words before leaving were “may God bless you.”
Little did she know He already had.
What is this woman’s story? Where is her community? Where are the people who love and care for her and make sure she has toilet paper and milk in her home – even if she can’t afford it? This woman could be a horrible person who steals and spends her money on terrible things, I don’t know. The point was, at that very moment she was in need of help. Plainly put, I’m a stranger in a store, she doesn’t know me from Eve, and I’m one of the three people witnessing this woman’s financial shortfall, grocery bagger and cashier included. And the realization was – her community was me. I harp on all day about building community, growing hope and supporting change. Here was an opportunity to do perhaps all three.
“I’ll pay for your milk,” I said as I stepped to where her and the cashier could hear me. She didn’t insist otherwise, but instead asked if I was sure, and then thanked me repeatedly. I handed the cashier a $5 bill to cover the cost of the milk and then a bit more. $3.80 was the woman’s new total, and as she continued thanking me, her last words before leaving were “may God bless you.”
Little did she know He already had.
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