“Actions Speak…”

A few years back, I saw a greeting card that said “ What the world really needs is a good LISTENING to!” I don’t know who coined this evocative turn of a well know phrase, but I haven’t forgotten its message. During our Volunteer Orientations we typically cite the words attributed to Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel often; use words only when necessary”. The relationship between these quotations is one that I see and treasure daily here at St. Anthony’s. A volunteer, delivering a lunch tray with a smile to a waiting and hungry guest in the Dining Room is a core example of this relationship. Conversely, many of our volunteers say that it is our guests who initiate smiles and kindly jokes…lifting the spirits of the volunteers and the staff!

Looking a little deeper into the notions of “actions speaking” and “attentive listening”, it’s clear that much of the healing that goes on here at St. Anthony’s is rooted in these ways serving one another. Recently, in the reflection period following the Dining Room experience, one of our young volunteers shared that he hadn’t really “connected” with the fellow he sat next to on his break, because the man hadn’t wanted to talk. But we talked about that, about the willingness to simply be present, to sit there and not force conversation on someone, of accepting a person for who they are in that moment, of making room for a person to feel accepted.

On the other hand, words can be healing too! I was serving in the Dining Room one day last week, when I noticed one of our guests wearing a button. I voiced the words “I am loved”; “Yeah!” he grinned. “I found it on the street and I put it on right away!” His smile & joy were wonderfully contagious, and I caught a good case of it from him.

With the sad news of Senator Ted Kennedy’s death, and the extensive media coverage of his legacy, I’m struck by how much of his dedication to service, of a family commitment to “giving back” is very, very resonant with the ways of the St. Anthony Foundation family. I got a call recently from one of the Seniors who eats regularly in the Dining Room. “Can I volunteer? I want to give something back.” And now, this person is volunteering as well. Does that mean everyone should? No, not at all– there are myriad ways that we can support one another’s well being. Our volunteers are always voicing how they feel so appreciated by guests and by staff. It’s not so much a back & forth as it is a circle of giving and receiving; of actions and of listening. And in these times of so much uncertainty and struggle, thank goodness we can count on the basic generosity of caring for one another. If I ever get discouraged, and I do, all I need to do is to watch and listen to our guests and volunteers for a moment or two, to revive my faith in “our better angels”.