when i lived in nashville, i was a member of a little episcopal chapel called st augustine’s, on the campus of vanderbilt university. i found deep, lasting community in my time at st augustine’s. it was the place where i found firm footing while navigating the rough waters of coming out in the bible belt. the congregation were equal parts granola nashvillians and recovering prostitutes and addicts. my priest was a fiery woman called becca stevens, whom i love very much. she preached a gospel that would cause the staunchest atheist to say “amen”. love and serve, love and serve: that was the message i received every week. and i believed this gospel, because i watched her live it.
so i’m about to refer you to a link, with a longish story i wrote as an assignment for a class in my senior year of college: will you indulge me and read it? for it tells the story of one such former prostitute, of magdalene house, and of thistle farms. and it is the lead up to me asking you: will you consider doing some of your holiday shopping with thistle farms? you will never feel so proud of smelling so good.
As someone who’s been writing about my experiences in law enforcement for about ten out of the 16 yrs I’ve been in, I love your writing. There’s something that happens to you sometimes in my business where you actually start to dislike other cops. I dont talk about that a lot, but once you’ve been on for a certain amount of time, you realize how inhuman you at times, and other officers, treat people. It becomes automatic. Especially when it comes to the women.
When I realized that was happening to me, I made changes. I started listening more, and the quality of my work increased, and I learned double what I had been learning before that. We learn from hearing people’s stories and having a little faith in a world where you rarely hear the truth. I liked your story because number one, your stat: 87% of the women who have stayed in the program beyond the first three months remain in recovery. That’s a phenominal number for a center.
And two, you did what so many people forget or dont know how to do: Listen. Sometimes that’s the one thing people want or need. Great story, thank you for sharing, and we’ll be gettin’ some good smelling stuff from the site
Thank you for sharing this. It’s funny, I am an atheist, but I am so moved by any work where the motivation is love and serve. That motivation comes through in all your posts, regardless of the topic. I will definitely be doing some shopping at Thistle Farms.
Thanks for sharing this. I am an atheist but always moved by anything that begins with “love and serve”, no matter what godly or ungodly impulse underlies it.
I will definitely shop at Thistle Farms this year- a cause well worth supporting. Thank you– I d believe that good comes back to you… I hope for you sooner than later!
annie, thank you for sharing this… we are not doing christmas presents this year – but i have a few nurse friends graduating and i think i will be purchasing some of these goodies for them…
love and serve.
if the world absorbed these two words only, just imagine…
much love to you and yours…
xo,
gypsy
you’re a beautiful woman and a beautiful writer. love you muchly…
your writing is amazing…
i work in the human service field, with adults that are diagnosed with mental illness, and so many of them are also recovering addicts…
your words speak of so much hope. when i first began in the field i was hesitant because i had no idea what to expect, i had no idea how to help myself, how was i ever going to help someone else?? but through hope, a kind ear, and a lot of hard conversations i have gotten to a point where the conversations, the meetings, the wants and needs, the thoughts…. they have all come together, and they pulsate with caring. i get it! and because of these intense encounters, i have been able to make my journey that much more complete…
i recall in college at a Take Back the Night walk around campus(it was a tiny one in NH), a professor approached me after i had spoken on stage. Her words to me were kind and very soft spoken. She took my hand and said, “Kelly, everyone has a story. If you take the time to listen, you are the one that benefits. You are the one that holds the power. Learn from these stories, feel the pain of these stories, validate and appreciate that this story may be the first time that it has ever been told aloud.”
your experiences and stories are fantastic… thank you for sharing with all of us.
[...] December 9, 2008 at 7:33 am (Beatitudes, Radical Thoughts, Social Commentary, expanding your view) go here to read this awesome post [...]
Already bought my sister-in-law and… um… a future sister-in-law lavender hand creams and lip balms! The story will be printed to accompany.
Loveth thee.