by Raechel Kiesel Ryan, Community Engagement Coordinator
Joy is not always easy. Personally, I love smiling and fist-bumping people on my way in the doors every morning. Sometimes, though, I can tell that my buoyancy is flowing against the tide – when it is cold, when yesterday was rough, when we didn’t have enough lunch tickets for everyone. Being homeless is disheartening in a way that makes it hard to wake up every morning in a good mood.
So joy is not easy. It takes some grittiness and commitment to hold onto it, even when something as flimsy as happiness slips away. Thankfully, Room In The Inn is really good at celebrations. I have found that this helps to strengthen my joy muscles.
At the corner of the exit that I take to get to work every day usually stands a man named Eric. As someone who works at Room In The Inn, it feels a little inauthentic to ignore him, so I usually roll my window down and chat, even if I have nothing to offer. Last week, he told me that he had lost his social security card. I shared that I did not know how to get that back, but that our navigation team could help. Today when I stopped at his corner, I honestly was not feeling the joy and avoided eye contact for a moment. But Eric walked up to my window with a big smile on his face, waved until I rolled my window down, and said, “I went to navigation! My ID’s coming in the mail, and then we’re going to work on my social security card!”
I drove away with tears in my eyes because I had almost forgotten how wonderful the stuff is that we get to do every single day. What a joy it was for Eric to get a new ID! What a joy it is to know and love him!
At Room In The Inn, we have so many moments like these that help us to hold onto joy. We hope that this Advent is full of them for you, too.
