It is hard to feel grateful sometimes when everything seems so important (and dire) all the time. The pandemic, the economy, the health of friends and neighbors, the schools, the children, the environment - it sometimes seems as though anything we could possibly do would only be a drop in the bucket. No one wants to pour their cup out in the desert where the impact will be so minimal, but sometimes it feels like there is only desert.
Last week at Agape, a guest gave us a Thanksgiving card, expressing his thanks that we always have a meal for him and his friends every week, without fail. We love all of our guests, but this particular guest has his difficulties. He always chats with us when he picks up his meal, but rarely does he notice the social cues that would ordinarily indicate the end of a conversation. Most of the time, his train of thought is difficult to follow and we are not quite sure what he is talking about. Sometimes the things he says upsets other guests and we gently diffuse the tension and move everyone along.
We have spent many Agape meetings asking ourselves what else we can do to make Agape better, to provide more for our guests. Because of all the limitations and modifications we’ve made to accommodate the pandemic, it never feels like quite enough to meet the tremendous needs of the people we serve. The expression of gratitude from a guest, with a card he likely could not afford, is such a profound affirmation that each of us is enough. When we show up and do what we can, we are enough.
We cannot solve every systemic problem, but we won’t even begin if we don’t show up. This Thanksgiving season, I am grateful for our entire Agape team and the ways they keep showing up. I am grateful for our cooks and van drivers. I am grateful for our shoppers and our youth. I’m grateful for those who make inventory lists and join Zoom calls late at night. I’m grateful for those who manage budgets and pay bills and place Amazon orders. I am grateful for the ones who schlep heavy cases of water to our upstairs closet and those who identify that upstairs closets don’t work for heavy water. I’m grateful for those who build closets that work and those who clean up the dust. You are enough, exactly as you are. Thank you.
