The two women, tired and overwhelmed, sluggishly went in and out of the apartment building next to the sidewalk mound; without drama or tears or energy they kept adding bits and pieces to the pile. “What’s this about?” I asked one.
“Trash!” she replied wearily. And I realized she and her co-worker had been hired to clean. They were not being evicted.
Just then a tan station wagon pulled up; the passenger window rolled down and Alex Pirie, a wonderful activist I’ve known for years who works at CAAS, a Somerville anti-poverty agency, called out to me. “Is this an eviction?” he asked.
“Exactly what I was wondering,” I told him. I nodded to one of the women. “But she says this is trash.”
We looked at the two exhausted women. We looked at each other. And then, reluctantly, we shrugged. Because although we both understood that Something Bad had transpired to cause all that stuff to be tossed on the sidewalk, we were powerless to help. Those harried cleaners knew nothing but their own fatigue and how to get done what they’d been hired to do so they could move on to their next job. More information would not be forthcoming.
Powerless to help the poor souls who owned that stuff, yes, save to hold them in the Light. (That Quakerese for “pray for them.”) But what an energy boost when Alex stopped and rolled down his window and asked that question! Because although I know there are good people doing amazing things all the time, sometimes I need to be reminded. (Okay, let’s be honest, here. LOTS of times I need to be reminded!) Sometimes I need to remember it’s not all up to me! Or about me. Sometimes I need to celebrate my/our interconnectivity.
“We all are so deeply interconnected; we have no option but to love all. Be kind and do good for any one and that will be reflected. The ripples of the kind heart are the highest blessings of the Universe.”
― Amit Ray, Yoga and Vipassana: An Integrated Life Style
* Did you? Have you?
Dear Patricia,
Hello, there, Patricia, my so, so very dearly special and so,so very dearly precious sisterfriend who you are For Always a whole bunch!!!!!! Wow, wow, wow and wow and wow and a zillion wows, sister!!!!!! I so, so very much love and like this beautifully and lovingly caring and sensitively heartfelt, inspirational and uplifting blog post article of yours, my so very dear friend!!!!!! As a disabled lesbian black woman who receives a low, fixed income with my disability benefits having multiple physical disabilities and other disabilities being an indigent person, I so appreciate with all of my very heart, and my very heart, soul, and spirit your everlasting love and concern for all of us as black persons and other persons of color, and your so very dear concern for those folks like me who are very poor!!!!!! You and this I cherish, Patricia, and you and this just mean so, so very much to me, sister-you are very much indeed a true blue soul sister in so very many, many ways, sisterfriend!!!!!!! As your great title to this wonderful blog post article so wisely declares, “No Option But To Love All,” as you so gently do, Patricia, and as we are all called to do in our very hearts, souls, and spirits!!!!!!!! The picture which you have featured with this so full of soul, Spirit-filled article perfectly complements your remarkable blog post article so much, sister!!!!! I love so and like so as well how both you, sisterfriend, and Alex Pine were very concerned and tried to intervene in what you two thought was a situation in which somebody had been evicted with their belongings being put on the sidewalk. I think you two had your very hearts in the right place, and I so, so very much appreciate you two and others everywhere who are allies and advocates for the poor and homeless as I am now an indigent woman and had been homeless for some periods of time when I was a lot younger, sister!!!!!!!!
Sister, I love this beautiful and so very lovely, deeply spiritual Quakerese saying, “Hold in the Light.” For Always I hold you in the light, sister, your dearest and darling husband, the rest of your so, so very special, precious, and beloved family, and your pure in heart friendsfamily at your very holy, blessed, and spiritual Friends Meeting at Cambridge, sister, praying for each and every one of you For Always daily and very often with my heartfelt intercessory prayers keeping all of you covered in prayers!!!!!! I am now praying for Alex Pine as well, Patricia! Patricia, I am like you in celebrating my interconnectivity with you, my so very dear friend, and with all of my other dearest and darling sisterfriends and brotherfriends who are our Dearest and Darling Spirit God’s children, loving all of you with all of my very heart, and very heart, soul, and spirit with all of my very human being with all that I have within me, sister!!!!!!! I love this lovingly brilliant quote you have featured here by our Amit Ray in declaring that we are all deeply interconnected and that the very ripples of our hearts have no other option but to love all. How wonderful this is, Patricia!!!!!! And as we love our Good God Spirit and others, we are all so very truly blessed!!!!!! Patricia, I did vote-I voted early, and I did get my flu shot. Thank-you so for reminding all of us to do so as your very grateful and appreciative readers!!!!!!
Sister, I thank-you, thank-you, thank-you so, so very much and so, so very profusely for this so very cool blog post article which has truly inspired and uplifted me so!!!!!! Please have a wondrously wonderful Wednesday, a relaxing rest of your week, a wondrously wonderful weekend, and may all of your days be so, so very especially blessed, sisterfriend!!!!! You are such a joy and a blessing, and you, my friend, and your amazing blog are my very joys and blessings, Patricia!!!!!! I have such greatly immense joy joyfully reading your marvelous blog post articles and other writings, and joyously responding to your blog post articles with my very heartfelt comments, sister!!!!!! Thank-you so For Always, Patricia!!!!!!
Very Warmly and Sincerely For Always, my precious white sister, Patricia, with Peace and Love To You For Always, my so very dear sisterfriend white Christian, Patricia, with Blessings and Even More Blessings To You For Always, my friend,
Your sisterfriend Christian lesbian black woman For Always in solidarity, Sherry Gordon