FIELD NOTE 004: Rising Waters

Today I saw a woman come in who had lost everything. Rising waters had washed her tent home away.

It made me think about the impermanence of a house, and the hard reality that fiberglass poles and mesh webbing can hold an entire life. Mother Nature can sweep it all away in a moment.

The temptation is to be frustrated. To wonder why she is in this position. To ask what she does with her time, why addiction has a grip, or what trauma brought her here.

But mercy requires love, compassion, and hope. It requires entering in. A simple tent can become more than shelter. It can become the first sign that someone has not been forgotten.

Concrete practice:
 Give shelter without judgment. See the person before the problem.