flowers:apparently the way to my heart

Whenever people  attempt to describe James*, what usually comes out first is "He is the alcoholic."

I was warned about James when I first arrived at Alta Woods. "He is unstable. Be cautious. He is usually drunk. He can be mean and belligerent."

So I stayed cautious, letting the pastors answer the door, and gradually getting to be more comfortable with this man. As his relationship grew with the pastors and very slowly with me, we began to see the "real" James...a funny, light-hearted, jolly James. Though we loved getting to spend rare time with the real James, it made it even harder for me to know him at all.  How did he end up here? What happened in his life that was so terrible that triggered him to numb himself everyday with alcohol to the point where he couldn't hold a job, lost his home, car, all belongings and now lives in a tent? We know bits and pieces of his life, but like I said before, we will never know the real story.

Several months ago I did not think I would ever speak to James again after a frightening incident. He had found his way to the church on a Wednesday evening because he knew our doors would be open and we would have a meal there.  Night seems to be his worst, alcoholically speaking, and his red eyes and whiskey-drenched breath let us know he was very unaware of his actions.  After he belted "How Great Thou Art" at the top of his lungs during our service opening, I tried not to laugh but the ladies of the church were not amused. We headed into the church office with the pastors after the service, and I turned around to see James, drunk and bleary eyed, stumbling quickly towards me, and was suddenly too close for comfort.   He meant no harm, but it scared me so badly that I resulted to not seeing him or talking to him for several weeks. James asked the pastors why he couldn't see or talk to me, and he didn't even remember the evening.

Each week (sometimes each day) I would receive elaborate bouquets of freshly picked crepe myrtles, different leaves, wildflowers and small pink blooms that he would send to me through one of the pastors. Why do men think flowers will fix everything? Perhaps because of the thought that he new he needed forgiveness and he was doing everything he could do and afford to let me know that he was sorry.

Even though we have since then become friends again, I still receive flowers (equipped with small spiders that find their way down to my desk) and today even received a teddy bear that he had found and a magnolia leaf that he thought smelled nice.



*name changed to protect privacy

Assume Nothing

I just laughed a little to myself when I let a man in to use the restroom today. I had watched him hobble across the parking lot and assumed he had been holding it so long that he was in pain.

I don't know why I always forget what I am told over and over again: don't assume anything.

Expecting him to waltz out of the bathroom a new man, I was concerned when he was still hobbling with a pained expression on his face. We questioned if he had a health problem, and he lifted his shirt to show us his two-day-old surgery scars with a bag. Again I am never supposed to assume anything, but I'm assuming it is colon cancer.

I do not know where he came from but he was seeking a shelter for the night and planned on walking there when I told him we had no more bus passes for the month. The shelter was 2.5 miles away.

We were able to give him a ride there, but I cannot help but wonder how far he had walked in the August heat after having a significant surgery to stumble across our church.

 

"You can throw away a paper but can you throw away a person?"

Excited about this: D.O. for B.O.

The above was inspired by this: http://thethrowaway.webs.com/johnsjournal.htm

two wet socks and spaghetti in a can

I love sharing stories from the church I work at with my friends. Alta Woods United Methodist Church is located in South Jackson on Terry Road. The community surrounding the church is one that has, over the past 15 years or so, seen crime rates increase dramatically and is enveloped now with obvious poverty. The congregation is what I can only describe as a more "traditional" congregation, and decided to reach out as best they could to the changing community instead of closing the church doors.

 This is an attempt to document some of the most incredible people, ministries, and stories that I have ever heard. Each day we see church members, homeless people, those in need of assistance with bills, clothes, or food, or some that just need a break from the heat for awhile. With each time the doorbell rings we all wonder Who's at the Door?


I want to start with a man that we see almost every day.

This man is like many of the people we see each day. He has leathered skin from walking in the sun, dirty clothes, dirty skin, and is homeless due to reasons that we can only assume. We never really know the whole story with each person we see, but we believe that many of those on the street are there because they have a mental illness, struggle with an addiction, have lost ties with family, or a combination of these.  This particular man has no teeth but that does not stop him from sharing all of the latest homeless going-ons around Jackson. He is like many we see, but this man is unique because of his eagerness to give back to us.

Monday I opened the door with a  Snack Pack in hand (these are given out daily to the homeless; that day's consisted of chips, beef jerky, a granola bar, and pop-tarts)  and there was our friend ready for some food with his gift of the day in hand. He collects items of clothing from the street or that he has worn so that we may rewash them and put them back in the Thrift Shop. Though it is hard to consider washing clothes and reselling them, it is his gift to us and we accept it with gratitude.

Monday he brought two wet socks and spaghetti in a can.