A few weeks ago, my son (a high school senior) participated in a presentation at church. In July, the youth of our church worked to build a ramp and a concrete walkway for a man who had limited mobility. This man was slowly becoming a prisoner in his own home, as he was unable to navigate his Hoveround Wheelchair out of his house. His home had steps leading up to the door and a dirt path to the street. People had difficulty transporting him, as they would have to lift him and the wheelchair out of the house and down the long path to get him to a car. So, the mission of our youth and their leaders was to build a wooden ramp to lead down to a newly made concrete walkway that would lead to the street.
Welcome to Brothers and Sisters, the weekly meet-up for prayer* and community at Daily Kos. We put an asterisk on pray* to acknowledge that not everyone uses conventional religious language, but may want to share joys and concerns, or simply take solace in a meditative atmosphere. Anyone who comes in the spirit of mutual respect, warmth and healing, is welcome.
We learned that the teens did a lot of hard work. They had to completely dig a new walkway through the dirt and weeds to lay the frame and to place 2x4’s along the sides of the deeper and wider pathway before the concrete was poured. They laid the concrete walk on the hottest day (96 degrees) that week. They had to carefully measure and saw the wood for the ramp, as the ramp had to fit around a part of the house that jutted out. They also weeded this man’s garden and did a lot of cleanup for him in his house. All their work was accomplished in a week’s time.
But we also learned that these teens formed a special friendship with the man they were helping. He had fought in the Korean War and lost some of his hearing. He told them stories of his life, and they became close. Several of the teens still write to this gentleman, who gave of his heart as he received from others.
One of the teens said, “A week away from the comforts of my home and seeing the world outside is like a reset button for me. It makes me rethink my priorities.” My son said, “The work was important, but the work led to a friendship that will last. That’s important, too.”
Each time we reach out, it is a step that leads to new hope. We don’t always see the results of our work. Some people are not appreciative, and some want to be left alone to sit in their own backyards without having to deal with the realities of the needs of others—or their own needs, as well. This does not mean we should give up reaching out. We do what we can do. We show the way of compassion and love. We work for justice, so people do not have to stay prisoners in their homes and in their lives.
And now some other thoughts:
“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. ”—Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The true essence of humankind is kindness. There are other qualities which come from education or knowledge, but it is essential, if one wishes to be a genuine human being and impart satisfying meaning to one's existence, to have a good heart.”—Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”—Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
“Every good act is charity. A man's true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows.”—Mohammed
"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."—Mother Teresa
"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."—Anne Frank