The World Needs More Love
| As we come to the end of the year, I see an uncertain future for the people we seek to support like I’ve never witnessed before. I see a rising tide of hostility directed at people experiencing homelessness which is turning into policy violence in the form of cutting housing programs for people with disabilities and with families with children, criminalizing homelessness, and building isolated camps with conditions even worse than the mental health hospitals we closed decades ago. Even locally, our response seems to be more geared to managing the presence of people without homes than it does addressing the reasons people are homeless in the first place. It’s always important to remember that the homeless problem is not homeless people, but that people are living without homes. And so my heart aches for those whose lives are at risk. Just a few days before I wrote this, I spent the evening at Crawford Apartments with many of the residents as we celebrated a Christmas dinner. I looked around the room, taking in each of the faces of those gathered around. I saw the joy and the beauty and the tenderness in that space. And I worried this might be the last time we get to celebrate Christmas together in this place. I grew up loving Christmas. For me, it reminded me of the best of humanity. I was raised to believe that Love was important. Love for your God. Love for your neighbor. Love for your enemy. And Christmas was the representation of the best we could be at Love. It reminds me to let Love in. And to give Love out. It gives me hope. And in this holiday season, you give me hope, too. I know very clearly Beacon exists because of you. As I sign thank you letters, I’m always amazed and honored by your trust to actually give away money in support of what we do. It’s kind of a miracle when you think about it. I watch our volunteers extend their hearts and give of their time to give back to people who so often have not known Love. That’s a miracle, too. No matter what happens in these politically trying times, Beacon will continue to be about Love. We will stand steady as a light in the darkness, guiding people home. The world needs a place that does that. Our town needs a place that does that. And we will be that.And truthfully, now more than ever, I need you to stand with us as we create that Love. If this is a mission you believe in, I need your help to keep it vibrant and strong. As a volunteer, as a donor, as an advocate, together, let’s build a better world. |