Reflecting on Poverty

From our Just Faith week 6, after our reading assignment from "Amazing Grace" by Kozol. Here are the questions, and a part of my answers.

Question 1: What are your early memories of poor people, or of being poor yourself?
-Poor people and addicted people coming into the Salvation Army for assistance, money, a meal, a bus ticket somewhere.
-Visiting a lady in a one room house.
-Working in the thrift store.
-Was I poor? Not really. We did live in a trailer while dad was in the Air Force but after they joined the Salvation Army our homes were provided and they were in decent blue collar neighborhoods. I always felt like I wasn't "cool enough" in school since I didn't have the name brand clothes or a nice hairstyle, but I wasn't ever hungry or cold.

Question 2: What did people close to you say to you about poverty, about poor people?
-Being raised as the child of Salvation Army ministers, the poor in town were just a part of our lives. Our job was helping others. "Heart to God, Hand to Man" is the S.A. slogan. A lot of government programs (WIC, cheese, etc.) were run from the church.
-Being poor was never a cause for distancing myself from another.

Question 3: What experiences as an adult have you had of poverty in the world?
-My own experience was a year or two of absolute poverty. I didn't think of it that way at the time, but there were many occasions that water/electricity was shut off. One place I didn't have any heat at all. I have had to haul water from the pizza joint across the street from my apartment in order to flush toilets when the water was shut off. I've used a bunson burner to keep warm. I have subsisted on macaroni and cheese box dinners for weeks at a time. I've rode the bus because I couldn't afford a car.
-As far as poverty in the world, until Just Faith I really hadn't given it a thought. Since then, studying a lot, reading, and watching educational video as part of the program I have learned. In addition I've had the chance to actually spend time with the poor, not just handing out food but really talking and finding out what they think, what they think should be done to improve things. When we visited the Catholic Worker House on Linwood and got to eat dinner with some of the people coming for a meal, it was very moving, but also a learning experience. Some of my assumptions were very wrong.

Annie Get Your Gun

Here he is, the one the only, STEVE!

This is a small sample of 15 pictures from the musical.

Click to make larger if you choose. Enjoy!

Weekend

Just a quick little post to talk about the weekend... but first....An exciting adventure on the way to work last week.

Flatbed semi trailer in front of me. It had what appeared to be a tire rolling alongside it. But then it disappeared, and I wondered if I was hallucinating. The truck (right in front of me) began throwing sparks out from under the flatbed. I called the MO hwy patrol and reported this. While still on the phone with them, the tire (yes it was real) rolled out from underneath on the right side, then rolled in front of me, over into the left lane and hopefully noone was hurt. I guess by this time the trucker had been informed by other trucks that saw this, and he pulled over. Crazy!

Saturday morning I went to Squaw Creek. Saw 2 bald eagles sitting side by side like they were posing for me. Saw lots of snow geese, white fronted geese, and lots of ducks. (Northern pintail, Shoveler, etc...) Oh, also some white pelicans, and the usual egrets and herons.

Sunday was church and laundry day as usual. We did a little shopping. I was able to get some much needed snow boots for free with my coupon. Yay coupons!!!

Today is training day #35 of 168!

When I Walk, an original poem by.....me

The bumpy winding path leads the way

to peace and unique understanding

Silence will make things right, but not quite.....

quiet

The floating melody drifts, collides with my ears and spirit and

distinct harmonies resonate

Imagined wings on my back ache to stretch and lift me aloft.