Let Goodness Ripple
As we serve our neighbors, there is so much we will never fully know or see to the end. Is our friend doing well after their move out of state? Are they still with their partner? Is she still sober? Are those kiddos back in school? Is he still alive? These questions linger because the work is full of beginnings without endings, stories we enter for a moment and then release. Yet even with all we do not know, one of the profound joys of this work is when we catch glimpses of the ripple effects that happen because we showed up, cared, and served.
A neighbor delivers bagged lunches every week to the friends he has met at the laundromat.
A friend volunteers his time as a way to pay forward the help he once received.
Several neighbors offer their couches to others in transition or trying to get back on their feet.
A mother reaches out for guidance on how to teach her children to respond with empathy when they see a homeless friend at the corner.
Another neighbor shares their treats from the food pantry each week.
A woman preparing for yet another move wants her furniture to find its way to someone who needs it.
And so often, we receive referrals from neighbors who say, “these people are good. They can help you too.”
What resonates through all these small windows into people’s lives is our neighborhood’s innate desire to do good for others.
One neighbor grew up in a home that did not experience connection in a way that was safe, and in a single moment his life changed forever. Now, more than 30 years later, we have the honor of walking alongside him as he rebuilds his life. Recently, he sat with one of our volunteers and thanked them for showing the neighborhood, including himself, what love can look like. He said his life might have turned out differently if a kind and humanizing love had been present in his childhood home. This type of love, he said, is the sort of thing that breaks cycles. Today, he is one of the most helpful people on our street, sharing food, running errands, and offering a hand.
And in all honesty, this is what we choose to build our trust on. While it is rare to witness full circle moments in the lives of our neighbors, we know that down the street or around the corner there are friends who once stopped on our porch and are now extending goodness to someone else in their own way. Our role is not to diagnose or prescribe. Our role is to witness, to listen, and to be with the people around us. May we be witnesses to more of the good. May it ripple, here, and everywhere.
- Faith Borowy
