There's this house near the Shed that recently caught on fire. Though I don't know the owners, my guess by the current sight of the house is that it was a total loss. It's right there, maybe a five minute walk but we just go on about our relatively pleasant Shed lives. I passed by this house walking to CVS the other day, and I think it was the smell that got to me the most. It was smoky, almost like campfire smoke but will just a touch of something really unpleasant. At first you smell it and just assume someone is burning something off in the distance, but as you get closer to the house and the smell gets stronger, it just seems downright sinister. I think a smell can be sinister? And the way it looks...from the outside probably a third of the house looks untouched, then moving your eyes to the right you see the roof partially caved in, and the other end is just totally black and completely roofless. I mean, I can't imagine what it would be like, to all of a sudden lose your home out of nowhere. And right down the street from this house is a house that's been vacant and for sale since I got to Nashville, because the couple that lived there lost their lives in the flood last May. All that sadness just within a few blocks.
Then there are the situations that are bigger than just down the street. This past weekend we YAVs went to Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty's annual student conference (fellow YAV Vic works there and helped organize the conference), and I've been thinking about it ever since. Regardless of how you feel about the issue of the death penalty, it's pretty heart breaking. I mean, it's heart breaking that people commit violent crimes, and it's heart breaking that one of the ways people have sought justice for those violent crimes is to end another life. But anyway, I don't mean to turn this post towards politics.
I've been thinking lately about all these painful situations--the specific ones I just talked about as well as the ones that are around every day that can often get overlooked. Homelessness, hunger, depression, political conflict and war. It's really overwhelming to me. There are lots of nonprofits are out there, and that is so so great. But think about how many of them there are. Obviously I'm not saying they shouldn't exist, but my mind wanders back to the word "intimidating." How are you supposed to pick which ones to support? What cause deserves your attention more than another? If there are still going to be so many problems out there even after you try, what's the point?
That last question is a dangerous one, but I guess where I've ended up after this reflecting is that I can't do nothing. I don't mean that in the grammatically-incorrect-double-negative sense. I mean it in the sense that I have to do something. We have to do something. It doesn't have to big or revolutionary or even that important. I mean if it is, that's fantastic. But maybe our somethings can be taking a friend who has suffered a loss out for a cup of coffee, or helping set up for Room In the Inn, or even just a hug. (Though I'm told there are some people out there who don't like hugs, so choose your something wisely.) Whatever your something is, I figure even if we just stick to tiny acts of kindness it's better than doing nothing. And who knows, all those tiny things could lead to something pretty wonderful. As per the usual Tuesday, I served lunch at Isaiah 58 today and the pastor that spoke before lunch brought up an excellent point (that I think applies regardless of your religious views):
"Jesus had 12 people and turned the world upside down."
Love,
Allison.
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