Open my eyes that I may see ...

The old hymn reminds us: "open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth thou has for me"

This week I've had my eyes opened again and again and again to the glimpses of truth that have been before me ... it has been a remarkable time ...

It begins with a realization and an acceptance that there are no coincidences in the world when on is awakened and aware of life's purpose (a reference to Tolle) ... instead things happen because things happen, and this past couple of weeks have been a series of what others might call "coincidences" but what I would call gifts ...

The awareness of these gifts started back on the trip home from BC with the kids when as we walked to the Aquarium in Vancouver's Stanley Park Noahkila asked if we would have time to connect with his buddy E who used to live next door to us in Langley. I answered "We'll have to see ..."

Moments later in the Amazonian Rain Forest display Noahkila bumped into E and his family who "happened" to be at the Aquarium that day ... we arranged to meet the next day so the boys could get caught up on life, the universe and everything ... a coincidence?? Perhaps - but I would like to believe these things happen at the right time for the right reasons ...

Last week the wave of "coincidences" continued with the gifting of the book "Bent Hope" by Tim Huff ... I'm still struggling with the impact this book has had on my understanding of the world and the message it offers. Huff speaks with a soft and firm voice from the perspective not of an accomplished and touted celebrity, but rather one who knows the importance of simply being present to the marginalized and the outcasts amongst us - the very people we can walk by and step over without giving so much as a second thought as we rush through our day ... Tim is not SPECIAL nor unique, but the words he has eloquently put to paper are a much needed sign post in a society that would otherwise see streetpeople as a "problem" rather than as people at all.

The book lead me and guided me in a conversation with one of those who works at street level with troubled teens in the Brandon area ... our conversation left me inspired and heart-broken simultaneously as over and over he said - "we need to show people that it CAN and it DOES happen here". His stories of beautiful young women being coerced into depraved sexual abuse and dehumanizing prostitution right in the Wheat City, while not surprising was disturbing ... his examples of young people using drugs and alcohol to deaden the pain of being rejected, abused, ignored and dehumanized by EVERYONE around them, came as a surprise only in so far as too many residents and citizens of Brandon see such "problems" as a Big City thing that can't possibly happen here ...

Over and over he said - "it can and it DOES happen here ..." and he thankfully is one of the people standing in the gutter helping to reclaim the shattered lives that are carried by in the much and filth ... and THANK GOD FOR FOLKS LIKE HIM !!!

Huff's message, one echoed by my conversation is one of HOPE ... hope that is borne in the simple gesture of saying "Hi, how are you ?" to the street youth you meet walking through down town or out in the mall ... the simple gesture of making eye contact with another human being and offering a smile, is something that some of these kids long for and have been denied to TOO LONG. Seeing a person through the anger, the alienation, and most of all the PAIN is what is needed ... but too often we commodify the street people and see them as a concept rather than a fragile human being who needs and who deserves to be loved.

If nothing else Huff's book has reminded me of the importance of seeing PEOPLE in those moments when I encounter the "street people" around me ... and empowering them to make their own decisions - both good and bad - and supporting them as people as they face the outcome and impact of those decisions ...

The world is not an easy place, and there are no quick fixes nor any easy answers and there will always be some people who fall through the cracks, or who chose to live in places where the darkness of the cracks continue to victimize them ... the challenge is to hear voices like Huff's and others who have glimpsed the promise of God that is extended to ALL people, and heed their challenge to do more than shake our heads and write a cheque ...

We are called to action ... and as Huff and others who work on the street remind us - even the smallest gesture - saying "hello"to a stranger is a good place to start ...

There are no coincidences in life ... just steps on the journey of awakening ... and this week the gift of a book and a conversation along the way helped to remind me of that ... may we ALL have the courage and the faith to live life with open eyes ...

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