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Eileen Drennen's avatar

“….but the comfort of people showing up meant everything. A word, a touch. A cleaned kitchen. Warm cookies and cold beer and hot pizza. Shared tears. A wordless walk along a leaf-strewn path.” Absolutely ❤️

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Dale Caveny's avatar

I had lunch with a friend yesterday. It had been difficult to find a time that worked for both of us and we ended up picking a date two weeks out - yesterday. I arrived a little early and tried to apply some calculus of where to sit that would allow us good conversation. We often talk theology and church (the broad church), and how we as Christians should show up in the world. As we were talking yesterday, a family came in, taking a booth behind my friend. I thought we were speaking softly, but when that family got up to leave, the young woman of the couple stepped to our table. She began by saying she couldn't help but overhear our conversation and asked if she could sit down. Over the next 15 minutes, she shared all the troubles and complexities of her life. To distill it down, she was feeling hopeless and desperate to find something akin to hope. It was overwhelming and I felt inadequate to offer her anything helpful. I have been reeling since that conversation. There were many "coincidences" that led to that moment. In spite of our stumbling manner of trying to offer her some solace, the most obvious thing was that she could no longer carry of all she is working through by herself - it was too heavy to carry along. I embrace that God is with us through whatever troubles we face. And, it is becoming increasingly clear that God works through us bumbling, incompetent humans to "one another" with folks in need.

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