Our Turn To Give Back

I’ve been writing about the people we serve who once served others. The middle-aged woman I interviewed who lost her apartment after taking care of a terminally ill brother. The elderly woman who couldn’t find work in her home country after caring for her father all of her life. The veterans from a succession of generations, still broken by the wars they fought in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The seniors who worked full time into their early 70’s.

“I’ve always worked for a living,” Maggie told me,” I’ve always had a nice apartment. I’ve been on my own for a long, long time. Of course I’d never been homeless before. This was a first, and a shock.”

What is remarkable to me is the lack of bitterness in the stories our guests tell. All they can talk about is how grateful they are for the help they receive from St. Anthony’s. They talk about the hope they feel as they begin to address their situations, a hope they credit to St. Anthony’s rather than to their own courage and resilience. People going through the Dining Room line praise the security team for treating them with respect and friendliness, for acting more like hosts than guards.  Maggie wants to be sure I include her thanks to Fr. John and Sister Andrea in what I write “for their wonderful council.”  Bertha praises the staff and guests at the Madonna Residence for creating community.

“When I first came here, I was welcomed with open arms,” Bertha said.  “Everyone here made me feel at home.”

Community and respect seem like small recompense for all Bertha has done for others.  The same is true of so many of our guests.