Home(less) for the Holidays

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to perform some last chance good deeds before the rumored "end of the world." In small, cramped office quarters, I made myself useful as a member of a very efficient assembly line, putting together bags of basic necessities for the homeless of San Jose. Plastic bags contained socks, scarves, beanies, gloves, towels, a rain poncho, and oral hygiene products, all bought with generous donations from kind families and individuals. Other donated funds were allocated to the purchase of food and warm bedding; brown-bag dinners were tied with festive green ribbon, and rolled sleeping bags and blankets were piled up to the ceiling ready to be distributed.

Once we had finished packing our goods, we loaded them into cars, along with crates of instant noodles and water. We visited a few different drop sites- walking through the darkness, along narrow sidewalks and under bridges- looking for people to receive our gifts. We were approached by a few wandering individuals, and also found a entire homeless communities nestled underneath an overpass and camping in a run-down park area. 

Serving the homeless isn't a novel activity for me; I used to go out help out with the church's Skid Row Ministry to downtown LA. On Fridays we would distribute food to the hungry and simply talk with them, offering a small slice of human interaction in the midst of their difficult weeks. Out on the streets of The Row, I interacted with people who, despite such different lives, are often just as normal as any random, amiable stranger you might meet... and I was certainly able to witness that in these run-down areas of San Jose too. These people were so grateful, offering smiles and thanks in return... all that they really had to give back to us. 

So other than locational differences, what made this charity mission different than serving with the Skid Row Ministry ? This trip was funded and backed by the Compassionate Service Society, which is a Buddhist organization. I found out that Lucas' family was volunteering their time in service this holiday season, and I offered to join them. No one ever performed unwelcome good to the disadvantaged; besides, I thought it would be a nice thing for the new boyfriend and I to do, as opposed to going out on a dinner date or something. 

As we trekked the cold streets and were met with warm thanks, I was again comforted in something I had initially felt insecure about: the implications of a bireligious relationship. I know some may disagree with me on this subject, but I've found dating a Buddhist to be tremendously worthwhile. Service is service and compassion is compassion; does it matter what language we speak if they are both love languages ?

Of course, this is a question that can only be fully answered over time. However, I do know that as of now, it has only given me more opportunities to love on others. Many of the homeless we encountered responded to our gifts with murmurs of "God bless you too," and none of the Buddhist volunteers stopped to correct them. To these weathered individuals, it doesn't matter under what or whose name we distribute our charity- what truly matters is that we are taking the time and effort to reach out to them. 



(and my dear Trisha- since I noticed that you've subscribed to my blog- you can expect to see Lucas and I at Skid Row sometime in the near future :)