Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Three Gifts

I was given the gift of perspective yesterday. As a matter of fact, there were three gifts.

The first was received during a visit to Covenant House in Orlando. My intention was to volunteer some time helping kids in trouble. That will most probably happen once or twice a week starting in the near future. I fully grasped what I was in for as far as facing the enormity of difficulties and challenges that Covenant House kids deal with every day. They are children who find themselves homeless and often cast away. As such, they have done anything imaginable… and perhaps unimaginable…to survive. This I knew. What I did not realize was how deeply spiritual such a shelter (better called sanctuary) could be. I am not talking about religiously driven at all. Almost every service for homeless folks is sponsored by a church group of some kind. People in residence are often required to avail themselves of the worship and teachings of the parent organization. Not so with Covenant House. It has roots and affiliation with the Roman Catholics but that connection is never part or parcel of the services provided for the kids. They have a spiritual director and offer retreats…but are completely ecumenical in nature. The perspective that I gained was that with all of the pain and struggle there was a deep sense of serenity and love in that place of sanctuary. Lives and outlooks are transformed by people who choose to act out of love rather than fear and with kindness rather than anger. There is no judgment. There seem to be joyous rather than embittered people there. There is a feeling of generosity as opposed to the covetousness that you might expect.

The second gift was received unexpectedly through the miracle of email. I have been blessed with some friends that have been with me since grade school. We have decades of history between us. The political season sparked some interesting, funny and challenging exchanges of electronic thoughts. One of the guys, Joe, decided to expand the discussion to a network of other old friends with whom he communicates. So, without notice, an email was received that had names of several guys who I had not heard from or really thought of in years. All of them go way back into my childhood. The unanticipated reunion was a tremendous treat for me. I more deeply appreciate the presence of friends than ever before. Years of distant separation mean little. The gem that is friendship cannot be overvalued. New friends and acquaintances are great. But nothing compares to old friends. They are family.

The third gift of perspective was given to me by my dear wife. She is a lifelong teacher of kids with special needs. Her tough times are never about her students but surround the administrative folks, co-workers and often parents. She is fiercely dedicated to her pupils. They have her as an advocate for as long as five or six years in her high school contained classroom setting. My admiration for her and for her work is great. I have never known anyone who would go to bat, fight for understanding and battle the system like she does. Bonita was relating the most current struggle with people in charge who were more concerned with protocol than the welfare of one of her kids. She was willing to do what was right in advocacy for the boy at the very risk of losing her job. I am so proud of her…and was reminded of yet another facet of her delightful nature. She is the love of my life.

So there are the three gifts from yesterday. It feels like Christmas.