Everyday (Monday through Friday that is), I wake up, shower, get dressed, fill my travel mug with coffee, pack my lunch (which is usually leftovers from the night before), and get into my little White Two door Honda Civic to drive to work. As I pull out of the drive way, I start my 15-20 minute commute to work. Now this ride is really not that long and its only four five turns total but the journey is worth talking about. The neighborhood of Beverly where we live is very nice. Nice people, nice houses, families are economically stable and all of them are white. As I leave the area of Beverly and travel south down Western Ave, my scene changes from trees, houses, and families to the hussel and bussel of businesses and cars until I turn east down 107th where the scenery changes back to tree, houses, families, and train tracks. My two mile drive down 107th is quite diverse actually. Although I don't know the names of the neighborhoods I am driving through, you can see the change visually by looking at the houses, the people, the conditions of the roads, and what other landmarks are along the way. When I get to S. Vincennes and the overpass of the highway, the scene changes to an area of houses that are still pretty nice but the population is now Black. I see the children walking to school as I drive along and when I stop at a stop sign at the corner of S. Sangamon, I smile and wave to the crossing guard everyday no matter which side of the road she's on. Now when I did this my first commute to work, I was worried about turning onto the right streets but the fact that she smiled and waved to me gave me ease for the rest of the day. This is the first highlight of my day and it makes me very sad when she's not standing there because of the rain or something else. So then I continue on my way and make my way into the Washington Heights area which is a Black populated area where the houses are smaller, run down, but full of kids and people who are out making a better life for themselves. This part of my journey is where the scene starts to include busy intersections, more train tracks to cross, convenient stores, and lots more people walking around. As I continue down 107th, I begin to see more people around and the area starts to get a little "rough." As I turn onto S. Michigan, there are no longer houses but now many stores, some are open for business while others are boarded up, lots of people walking and waiting at bus stops, and other businesses and traffic lights. In the morning this street has plenty of people waiting for buses or driving but at 5 when I'm driving home, everyone is outside: talking to people, drinking out of paper bags, honking their horns, and blasting their music. Friday's are especially crazy because people have worked hard all week and are ready for the weekend to begin. My journey ends as I make a left onto 113th and then another left into the parking lot.
It's amazing to see the diversity in just 15 minutes to work but the journey is amazing everyday. Each day I see different people and each day I'm sure there is another story being told. I feel so blessed to live in a safe and comfortable neighborhood as Beverly but I stop and think about what my life would be like living by S. Michigan in Roseland. Would I be safe? Would I be accepted? I would definitly be a minority but I could learn so much from that. It's amazing the opportunities God has given me and I thank Him everyday for giving me the strength and motivation to take this journey each day to serve the people in the area that really need my help.
As I got to work on Friday, I knew it was going to be a busy day. I met three of my clients and learned more about the intake process and paperwork. I don't have time to write out all the details but I will tell you one thing I heard from a client. "Thank you" she said, "Thank you for all the services you have to offer. I appreciate you guys helping us single moms with things we need for our babies. " This to me was mind blowing because first of all, there is this stigma of social services clients having a bad attitude towards help from people but this woman was so thankful for everything that we were doing and it was amazing. Secondly, I was shocked by this comment because honestly I had just filled out her paperwork for intake. I really didn't do anything for her yet that deserved a thank you but at the same time it made me smile to think that this is what I will be doing for the next nine months. I will be the person helping these women, I will be the person to give these services in order for them to raise their children, I will be the one making a difference in their lives and mine. What a blessing this will be to honor and serve God though these women in need.
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