An Eye for Kindness

Dear Inner Circle,  

Kindness is all in the eyes. There’s a gentle man with whom I trade terrible jokes on a weekly basis. Months ago, my limited store of them ran out so a book was purchased and now, before we meet, I grab it to make sure there are a few new ones ready to go. He always manages to laugh no matter how bad they are, and I love him for it. A little while ago he hobbled up unexpectedly and I felt a hint of anxiety as I hadn’t had a chance to look at the book. The worry within me shifted as I looked into his face and saw not his usual smile but a twinge of pain. Even though he now enjoys stable accommodation, the years he spent on the streets have taken their toll on his body. His discomfort is unbearable at times, and so it was with great relief that after years of waiting on a priority surgery list, he’d finally been scheduled for an operation. We celebrated together by sharing some more corny jokes over a can of fizzy drink. In between the laughter you could see the pain return to his eyes, then he reached into his pocket, leaned in and thrust some money into my hand. “Take this,” he whispered. “It’s for the winter appeal. I’ve been there, and I’ll never forget what that’s like.”  I know that there are things he will go without because of this gift. Yet as much as I wanted to refuse it, in my hand I held something given from a place of memory and deep compassion, and one that could not be given back, but could only be given forward and released into the world through sharing this story.  

Next Wednesday, 21 June, will be the longest night of the year. A few of us will gather in the Martin Place Amphitheatre at 6pm to honour those people who have died on our streets at the Sydney Homeless Memorial Service. Can you imagine anything lonelier than dying on the streets with no one by your side? No one holding your hand. No one whispering words of love when you take your last breath. And often no funeral for the people who knew and loved you to gather in your honour. This is the reality for so many of our rough sleepers, and Wednesday’s service is a chance for us to remember and name all those who we have lost in the past year. Please join us if you can.

After the service some of us will head back to Wayside in time for the State of Origin II kick off. That may seem like a strange transition, but the highs and lows of life often exist alongside each other. Learning to be present for both is a healthy instinct, rather than the craving of an addict to want only the highs, or the drive to destruction of someone at their lowest ebb. A wise navigator recently showed me how to move seamlessly between despair and hope, when he so bravely carried himself through the depths of pain to shared laughter, to a moment of the greatest compassion and then back to telling a corny joke.  

Thank you for being part of our Inner Circle, 

Jon

Rev. Jon Owen
CEO & Pastor
Wayside Chapel

Listen to the audio recording here: