who's serving whom?

i was talking with my friend derrick tonight, and while so many things became stunningly clear, a couple questions really broke out of my heart.

for one, when we hang out with our homeless friends each wednesday night, serving them food, giving them some warm clothes, talking, singing, praying, and [more than anything] listening...who is serving whom? i wonder because many of these people are very much my friends, and bless me with conversation and hugs and love. it's a wonderful community, on the edge of the Common, a place where at 10 o'clock at night you shouldn't feel safe, but i...do.

so yeah, i guess the answer is, we serve each other, in some ways different, but in many ways the same. it's so good. i'm reminded of hank's sermon on sunday. [oh yeah, have i forgotten to mention...Reunion launched two weeks ago! yay, we have a church!] hank talked about the need for each other, for togetherness on this crazy road we travel. and that's been a paramount thought for me lately, just that people need people. God made us to love and be loved by others. that's why He made stellar things like marriages and families and stuff, which, like so many things He created to bless us with, they are so many times associated with tarnished images, thanks to our human-ness and tendency to f things up. [exit soap box.]

so then i wonder, as hard as it sometimes is for me to desire to help the rich [and by sometimes i mean most all the time], how do we bring love and community to those people? because i know there's got to be a few pretty lonely people tucked away in their bizillion dollar Beacon Hill condos. i'm thinking we could just relocate our little community from one side of the Common to the other [where Beacon Hill is]. just start knocking on some doors, handing out free high fives and hugs...["hello, John Kerry, would you like a hug?"] :o)

what were the things that became clear tonight? i'll highlight just one: derrick said, many times, this wonderful phrase [definite inspiration for my next song]:

"as long as you are in the Light, you're going to be alright."

simple? yes. but derrick has this amazing way of speaking simple-yet-profound truth and encouragement into my life. his words tonight were exactly what i needed to hear.

derrick is a poet and my Brotha' and my jamaican homeless friend. he does my heart good.