Day 6
I'll be honest. Today was rough for the team. Things happened that
threw us off guard. Some things made us laugh while others made us
cry. But all of it has brought us to our knees.
As I write, I'm sitting in a warm cafe just shy of the Willamette
River. The sky is the same marbled gray as the concrete floor
underneath my feet. The handsome barista behind the counter is staying
warm as he delivers drinks to people that come in to find shelter from
the cold. It's March in Portland and the world is just as it should
be.
A few blocks away sit a married couple. They are sitting in a
cardboard box underneath a freeway overpass, swaddling themselves in
blankets, smoking a joint to keep them warm. They are part of a small
community on this side of the river. They are like any other dedicated
couple. They bicker. They kiss and make up. The simple domesticity of
the situation seems ironic at first. After all, they are homeless.
Where's the house? Where's the yard? They have the dog. They have the
tender glances, the soft looks and the stolen kisses that symbolize
happy Americana.
They were married by the fountains in Waterfront Park. Their third
anniversary has already past--they are doing much better than many
newlyweds in the rest of society. Instead of wedding bands, they
exchanged barbells. Both of them proudly stuck out their tongues to me
and showed me the shiny silver bars. You could tell that it meant more
to the wife than any diamond ring would.
The couple was seperated for a year. He had to serve time in a county
jail. She stayed in Portland. Both of them have been helped by
Transition Project in downtown Portland. They have been given help
finding clothes, showers and meals. They told me that Transition was
the best service that the city had to offer to the homeless. The
husband dug into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, pulling out two
checks for $29 that he had been given earlier that morning. He was so
proud to have some money for him and his wife.
They are humans like you and I. All they ask is that they are treated
as such. Please. Show them love. Show them care. Show them that they
actually do matter.
Posts
Just wanted to let you know that I am reading and appreciating the updates.