PARAKLETOS

(Just so you know I am still working on getting pictures of Desmond Tutu on the site, and I plan to blog more about what he said the other day, but I had to get this out of me.)

When I left the family farm 14 years ago, I thought that my farming days where behind me and at the time I was glad. Now that I am living in the city, trying to make connections with my neighbors and trying to feed my family, I find myself going back to those farming days.

About a month ago a few of us got together and talked about some of the things that we would like to do the neighborhood. One of the ideas that came up was doing a community garden together.

What we have been envisioning is a place where neighbors come together and work side by side. Where we invite kids to come, participate in the life of their community and learn about some of the most basic and important parts of life. A place where these kids learn about the where food comes from, how much work it takes to get our food, and the very important lesson of tenderly, patiently, carefully waiting for the fruit of your labor to come ripe so that you can enjoy that fruit.

We also envision in a way that this garden will help us be more self-sufficient and provide the all-important nutritious food that we all need to live healthy, productive lives.

As I have been spending time working on organizing the garden today I learned that this would be the only community garden in Near North. I also learned that the soil on the lot that we want to use is worthless, so we will have to get about 20 yards of compost trucked in. The great news is that I think the city of Minneapolis will do that for us because we are a community garden. The other great news is that the city is will let us use a fire hydrant all summer long for $30. That means we can water the garden as much as we want and we only have to pay $30.

We will see where this goes but I would love in a few years to have a permanent lot where we have about 20 different plots for people in the neighborhood can garden together. Some would be just learning, some would be experts, and we all would be filling some of those hungers we have for community and good food. In some way I hope that this garden becomes the work of God in this neighborhood that Desmond Tutu talked about the other day. In the days to come I will blog more about this work that he talked about.

Saturday was a High Holy Day for us. It started out like any normal Saturday with Erin and I trying to sleep in as late as possible but Micah and Annika always have other plans. So we did the normal Saturday morning routine.

We know that at 1 pm Desmond Tutu was going to be speaking to a group of students at North High School, the school across the street from us. The public was able to hear the address from a video feed outside the school. We got to the tent at about 12:30. After a few minutes we thought, what the heck lets try to bust inside and see Tutu live. So we walked about the building and tried acting like we know what we where doing. We did not fool anyone. The door security somehow know that a double stroller was out of place at an event for high school students. But they did tell us that we could go the cafeteria and watch a live feed in there, so that is what we did.

About five minutes before Tutu was to take the stage they told us that there was still room in the auditorium, so we all made a bee line and ran into the auditorium. The next thing we know, we where in the same room with a world leader ½ of a block form our home.

For the first time in 2 years I heard people talking about how proud they where to live in North. For the next 1 ½ we focused on the good things of our neighborhood. Tutu talked about the hope that he has for change. He talked about how at even in the darkest moments he still has hope because he believes in the end that love wins.

To me those where not some cheap words about trying to encourage the poor souls of North. They where not words coming from some motivational speaker taking about some vague peace. They where words coming from a man who has experienced the darkness of evil, he as looked evil in the eyes and he knows what he is talking about.

The words of Tutu gives us hope that our hunger for jobs, food, healthy relationships, peace will someday be filled. Our hunger to see most of our neighborhood kids graduate from high school, our hunger to live in affordable houses, our hunger to see more restaurants then liquor stores, our hunger for a community where fear is no more, our hunger for people to see the good among us, our hunger to be known for something beyond the violence, our hunger to be fully human will someday be filled, because evil does not have the last say, love conquers all. And to hear that from Tutu meant the world to me.

So I keep asking myself how am I participating with this love? Or am I fighting against it?

In the days to come I hope to post some pictures and talk a little more about this high holy day.

As I write this blog there is snow on the ground, so it is really hard to think about summer being just round the corner. But it is, we are making plans for our community garden and the other day when i was playing in the back yard with the kids we spent time with 3 different neighbors.

The thing that i am so aware of as summer comes is how ever present are the relationships with those around me. The question for me is ” am i open to those relationships”? Or am i to busy? is my life and work to important to take the time for inefficient conversations? am i willing to get messy? Am I willing to introduce myself to someone who I have no idea who they are?

The older I get the more I am longing to value relationships. And as I become more relational I find that I don’t always get a lot done, some see me as being lazy, and some wonder what am I producing with me life. But the richness that I am starting to experience is worth that minimal cost.

Three nights ago I was standing by my front window, when I heard a familiar voice. I looked out the window and there was Charles making his way up our front steps. Before he got a chance to knock, I opened the door and invited him in.

We first meet Charles when we moved in two years ago, back then he was living in his van in the alley. Today Charles is trying to recover form a surgery that he had on his knee a few months ago. Charles is a Vietnam vet, and the injury is one that we got in the war. The surgery was going to help him with the movement in that knee, but in reality the opposite has happened. Today he is having a very hard time getting around. He can not longer work on cars, a love of his and a source of money. He can no longer go on long walks around the neighborhood, his freedom and movement are slowing leaving him now, which it seems to me are slowly but surely leading to his death. When he left the other night it I had to help him out of his chair, and then it took him several minutes before he could take a step.

I often wonder what kind of health care we are giving to one of the men that fought in one of our wars. I wonder if Charles is not just another one of those men we asked to go to war and to be a good citizen, but know that he is old and is in need of us, I wonder if we are really there or not.

Every time I see Charles now I encourage him to take care of himself, because I tell him that the neighborhood needs him. I know that because I know that I need Charles. Over the 2 years Charles has taught me a lot about life and the struggle of the poor.

My white culture taught me that Charles was lazy, did not want to work, was a drain on us, had nothing to offer, and was an object of our charity. In my relationship with Charles I found that not to be true.

What I have found is a friend that I have been able to share my life with. A friend that I was able to help by giving him rides, letting him use our car, sharing meals with, listening to, and giving him a garage to do his work in. But more importantly Charles has been a friend that has given to me, examples of what it really means to give to others, what life is really like when you don’t have a place to call home, he has called the police when he thought that someone was breaking into our house (he was the best security system that you can get), finding our house and car keys on the front sidewalk and returning them to us, and being a voice that tells the stories of the neighborhood and welcomed us when we the newcomers.

After I talked to Charles the other night I realized that there may only be a few more conversations like that with him so I better cherish each one. As Erin and I went to sleep that night we both talked about how we missed Charles and we will ever be grateful for God visiting us through Charles, so that we might see and know truth that is so often intentionally hidden from us.