Faces and Names

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
- Leo Buscaglia

I gave my mom a tour of The Mustard Seed Calgary’s Centre Street location yesterday afternoon. She just so happened to be in the area, which was an almost-miracle in itself, as she is NEVER in the downtown core, due to the outrageous parking prices and confusing one-way traffic streets.  She also has never had the opportunity to view the building(s) where her daughter spends 5-out-of-7 days a week, even though she shares the same very strong passion and drive that I do to help the men and women in our city that are in need, so this seemed like a great time to change that. Add-in the fact that I was smack-dab in the middle of a lengthy website SEO analysis when she called and could use a quick break, so I jumped on the opportunity to show her our downtown digs.

As much of an eye-opening experience that this must have been for her, I, too, walked away from the experience with somewhat of a perspective shift. I have worked for The Mustard Seed long enough that I find I am generally pretty comfortable in my surroundings that include daily interaction with a portion of the homeless population in Calgary. I’d estimate that I could pass anywhere from 20-50 individuals who are experiencing homelessness on any given day, whether I’m running back and forth between buildings for meetings, running an errand, or grabbing lunch. These men and women may be lining up for an afternoon meal, chatting among themselves outside of our doors, or simply walking down the streets in our neighborhood. It’s often a highlight of my day to have a brief chat in passing with them – “Hi, how are you doing?” “This is what’s new with my family; this is what happened the other day; man it is cold/warm/windy/sunny out today!”

So, I was slightly taken aback when I noticed the small amount of timidity and apprehension in my mom’s mannerism as guests approached us for a quick chat, as if she wasn’t quite sure how to react to them. It caused me to rewind my mind into the past and consider my own views on homeless men and women prior to my time working at The Mustard Seed. I remember being somewhat nervous as well when I would be approached for spare change while walking down the street or entering a store, and would respond with either a quick “I’m sorry, I don’t have any”, or else by dropping some money into their open hands if I had any available with a quick smile. Needless to say, I definitely hadn’t been Little Miss Suzie Sunshine striking up any lasting conversations!

It’s amazing to compare and contrast my views now, after almost a year and a half of working in such close proximity with our homeless population. If I could summarize what I have learned of my dealings with these men and women in any one way, I would say that I’ve found that these people are really “just like you and I”. They have good days, and bad days. Good things happen in their lives, and so do bad things. They have relationships that mean the world to them, families, hobbies and passions. They struggle in their faith, experience hurt emotions, and also experience moments of happiness and excitement. They are often interesting to talk to, and many of those conversations have come to be a permanent highlight of my day. As one fellow in particular had mentioned to me just last week, “We are not dangerous – we are just misunderstood”.

I made a quiet promise to myself yesterday to become more aware and deliberate in my conversations; to make sure I am relaying this information as much as possible in my daily life. Not just in our social media postings or other digital interactions for The Mustard Seed, but also to my own friends and family. The money that you, our donors, so generously give to our organization and the hours that you, our volunteers, so diligently spend here in service do not just support a nameless, faceless statistic on the street -  rather, they support individual men and women, each with a unique story to tell of their own - stories of pain, trials and tribulations, dreams, goals, and hopes for the future.

 
"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart, and head, and hands." 
- Robert M. Pirsig

- Jennifer Fast, Digital Marketing & Web Manager, The Mustard Seed
@loveismotion222

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