The People We've Met

Over the past few months Courtney and I have met a lot a people, and so many of them are wonderful. It is a blessing to be able to meet these people who are all in different walks of life and see how they are changing the world in their own small ways.

While everyone we have met has made an impression on us in some way, two people in particular stood out to us and we wrote about them. In poetry. And after we decided to share our poems with each other, and realized it had been a month and a half since we wrote a blog post, we decided to share them with y'all.

On October 26th we had the opportunity to spend the day at St. Margaret's Nursing Home in New Orleans. There we met Miss Ana, a ninety-nine year firecracker in a teal blue sweatsuit. She was beautiful and funny, and made an impression on Courtney. After we got home that evening Courtney shared this poem with me.

Miss Ana

I met a woman today

Born in 1918

Her name was Ana,

but she reminded me of Connie.

She wore all blue

that matched her

eyes

Never missed a moment

Ninety-nine years of life.

She lost her son

in 65 to a

lightening strike

"killed him instantly".

But she lives on

through the

tears that still

well

up.

I was born in 99.

I don't know what

blues I will wear

Or which colors will

match my eyes

But if I make

ninety-nine years

of life

I hope I am like

Ana who reminded me

of Connie

Maybe I'll just be

a woman someone met.

- Courtney

On August 18th Courtney, Sinan, Fabian, and I went to the Treme Community Garden with some of the volunteers at Camp Restore. There we met Miss Gloria. We've worked with her a lot over the months, helping her get her garden ready for the world. After talking with her last Monday about her hopes, dreams, and plans for her garden, I wrote this poem about her.

Miss Gloria

"I know a lady who wants to take care of the whole world, but she doesn't have a car.

Her thumb is as green as my mama's eyes and her heart is a bright shining sun.

She wants to change the whole world, but she's starting with Brandon and Treme.

She works in the dirt, cares for the plants like they are children, and for the children like they are kings and queens.

And she is not afraid of a single thing, she trusts in a God big enough to handle it all.

Money finds it's way to her and with it she plants trees.

Her dreams go on for miles and miles, but all she needs is someone to say okay before she hits the ground running.

She's something around, say, seventy-five, but that hasn't stopped her yet.

She never knows for sure where the money will come from, or who her next ride will be, but she laughs and says it's all part of the divine will, fear can't shake her, she's lived long enough to know better.

And when she talks about teaching kids to garden, grow, and bloom, to cook the food they plant, she says it'll go from the soil to the soul, and she does not doubt for a second that it's true.

See I know this lady who wants to love people who have never been loved, to take care of the kids on the street who don't know what it's like to have a home.

She wants to take them step-by-step, help them make a way that's better, teach them other ways to grow.

Its' not that she doesn't see bad in people, it's that she's more concerned about the good.

It's not that she thinks she's a savior, it's just that she believes she can be part of the change.

And it's not that she thinks she's better than everyone else, it's just that she's not afraid anymore.

She trusts that God's got her, and everyone else, too, and her little garden can be the place where healing can begin."

-Madison

Until next time we're just taking it minute by minute...

Prayer Requests:

- Please pray that we are safe as we travel home for Christmas break

- Please pray for Fabian's sprained arm to continue to heal

- Pray for us as the volunteer season starts up again!