little daisies

A wild daisy emerges from the Earth, peeks at the sun through much trash and contorts itself around broken glass and concrete. In its becoming, the daisy stands with confidence and is simply what it’s meant to be. Like this small daisy there are children in my neighborhood doing their best to emerge, to seek goodness and to grow successfully. My house mates and I are doing what we can to love the children in our neighborhood and build relationships with their parents. In mid-June 2009, we started a Kids Club. We meet on Monday’s from 6-8pm. We have singing, a Bible teaching, crafts, games and a snack. There are about 7-14 children on average that attend.

On the 4th of July we took 40 neighborhood children to the zoo; ranging from the ages of 4-17. It was chaotically fun. The trip was a wonderful opportunity for the kids to leave the block and do something fun and educational. This trip was funded by a young adults group from a church in Central Pennsylvania that was visiting Philadelphia for a short-term service trip. However we exceeded the limit of for the number of children that could be payed for. It was a huge blessing to split the cost of the zoo trip with them! There is no way the three of us can fund everything we want to do with these amazing children.

This being said I would like to extend the invitation for you to be a part of kids club! Currently we are planning a pizza party for the beginning of Sept. for children who have read 5 books during July and August. Other activities being planned are a trip to a museum, girls night sleep over, and much more. If you would like to sponsor a child for any other these events that would be delightful. I would love to personally talk with you about one of the children from my block that you may sponsor! 

You can reach me at : 707 E. Thayer St., Philadelphia, PA 19134

19may

morning prayer with neighbors and friends

watered the garden

breakfast with past housemate

food bank shopping

sharing my lunch with Alloy and James on the stoop

pulling weeds with Alloy and James

entertaining 5 more boys in the garden…

taking shovels and rakes and hoes to an abandoned, half block lot and planting flowers in a small corner

carrying water with children to moisten the seeds!

putting together 65 food bags with Gina-ta and Mahogany, and Alloy and Derrick and Mike and Dominic…the knocking never stops

working

cell

giving cookies to high school guys as they greet me on my street

17may

local greasy spoon diner on the corner, $3.99 special. my neighbor rick helping me grease up my squeaky, rusty spare antique bike! conversations with bob-o and train tokesns. being escorted up my street by three young boys yelling my name and showing me coloring books. lending out basketballs. having five visitors in the garden while harvesting spinach for my dinner. giving out marigold seeds. children in my house. high school boys playing cards; hot chocolate, frutabu’s and brownies.

seirotsstories

everyday of my loving here, there a story. though it has simply become a normal way of life, i realize that i am living something beautifully divine. i would like to remember at least a few of these stories. so i believe that i may start expressing some of them…

sol

The messages transmitted to my neurons jump through the synaptic gap like a passing train, as the warm sunshine tingles my skin which then reaches to my soul. I let out a genlte sigh of solidarity, for I am one with the sun. The fullness of feeling invites me to leap and run and spin and frolic. I am free; the depths of me are flying like a kite in the warm breezes of spring.

nou, wen? p. 1

Solitude is necessary and beautiful. It is difficult to discipline, needing perserverance. In the solitude comes restoration and self. Soul is discovered and repared. Power in relinquished, only to be given out not acted upon. It is where the truth, “you are my beloved”, is spoken to me. Discovery, belief and deep peace await me…

(to be continued.)

It’s about so much more…

Dear friends,

Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4 vs. 11, 12)

Poverty is not the reason I came here, it is Love. I try to throw out the agendas and the lists of what I can accomplish amongst “these” people. I am one of “these” that so many speak of. It is not a matter of coming from the outside in or moving from the inside out. It’s about loving all people that you share life with wherever you are. Each of us has our own form of poverty that needs to be identified. Spiritual, Physical, Economical, etc.

I am a part of The Simple Way because of its work through love to engage and empower people. Love is not about doing things for others; instead it gets things done with others. This is not as simple as it reads. It takes much time and energy to empower others. It takes endurance and trust to do things with and not for. A problem that reoccurs is identifying someone else’s need for them. It happens so naturally, but that way of thinking needs to be addressed within ourselves. Who are we to say what someone needs, when we don’t know them, love them, or live with them. A mother knows what a child needs. Are we pursuing deep relationships with those in need or are we giving handouts?

Neither one person nor a group of folks not affected by poverty can fix poverty; but the poverty stricken individuals themselves. The Holy Scriptures talk about the people Christ lived with. Jesus was with the poorest of the poor, the sick, the lame and those who were hated (including tax collectors). Living among those with visible needs helps me to see my own need for a Savior. My inner being needs to be restored. I choose and continue to choose to live in a poor neighborhood because the souls here are beautifully raw. Life is real and the need of the Divine is real. There are no facades, all walls are broken. I will continue to invest time and energy, so that I can call my ghetto my home.

an underground cathedral

dark wet restricted

crawling, squirming, trudging through

pursuit proved worthy

ghetto blasted

I have never experienced discrimination because of the color of my skin. However, due to my darker complection and coarse curly hair,  I am easily written off as being from Puerto Rico. I don’t know what it’s like to grow up surrounded by concrete and trash. What it means to really be from a broken home. How anyone can be so numb to love.

I am here because of love; because Love has remodeled my heart and my soul. My life is not usually easy and neither is anyone else’s.

I am starting to recognize some of the numbness. My heart is uneasy and my soul has been sliced and stabbed by the pain of homelessness, crime, sexism, and the need for love.

I can do nothing on my own.

my carpet ride

there goes my rug

from right under my feet

i’m but a squashed bug

laid out, from deceit

there goes my rug

an end to my venture

left with, empty hugs

no magic feature