Giving Thanks

First Thanksgiving in America since 2007, and the Lions lost. Welcome home, eh? As I ate turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole - the usual fare - I reflected on the 3 Thanksgivings I celebrated at High Tide restaurant in Chuuk. I ate the same food there (with the addition of spam-fried rice, of course), and I did so in the company of friends. Even though it was nice to be with my family again today, I miss my M74, 75, and 76 friends who made the past three "last Thursdays in November" a family experience.

So today I'm giving thanks for all the people who made my last three years in Micronesia a remarkable, unforgettable experience.  I'm thanking them for challenging my notions about what development means, and thus starting a process in my head of evaluation and criticism about what comes next for me. I'm thankful for the relationships which grounded my work, provided inherent value to the work I accomplished, and gave context to the larger questions and ideas (faith, spirituality, human empowerment, sustainable development) which are my passion.

Today's Thanksgiving meal was what I had been wanting for the three years I was gone - Mom's green bean casserole, Aunt Stacie's salsa, and the Lions' usual sub-par performance.  But I really missed the High Tide waitresses and the Ran Annim welcome as I walked through the glass doors.

Feed

The adage "give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for his life" is only true for the men in our world who live near water and have the capacity to fish. For the rest of the world's children, women, and men (well, at least those in Pontiac, Michigan), there's the Baldwin Center. Since 1981, Baldwin has been serving meals in its family kitchen to the homeless, the poor, the near-poor, and the people in-between who need a safe place with the lights on. We serve over 300 meals a day, at breakfast during the week, at lunch everyday but Tuesday and Thursday, and dinner on those two nights, and that doesn't include the meals served to our summer and after-school youth programs. People come to us on foot, by car, and on bike. Some are between jobs and are just trying to stretch their budget. Most come sober, and most walk through our doors on their own two feet. But a wide range of addictions and disabilities harangue many of the people we serve, and for them, lunch or dinner at Baldwin is critical to meeting their needs. The nice thing about having been around for 30 years is the depth and breadth of volunteer relationships we've cultivated. Some of our volunteer groups have been coming monthly every year since we opened. And that's a significant indicator of why we've been successful for all these years. Because without volunteers to cook, dish, and serve the meals, nobody would be fed. Today, we want to continue building relationships like the ones that have sustained our mission to feed, by incorporating new individuals and groups into our volunteer mix. Come join us fill bellies and provide people with a constant source of nourishment in this world of uncertainty. 248.332.6101.

Back in the USA

As I transition back to living here in America, I hope to use this blog as a way to reflect publicly on my three year experience living and teaching abroad, and make connections to what's happening here. As people have been asking about my transition home, there's one word I've used a lot: overwhelming. The pace of life, attitudes about competition, the engrained sentiment that we have to 'succeed' at all costs, unending work weeks, communication styles I'm not used to - I should probably keep going and get it all out. At any rate, I'm in the thick of my transition back to life here in America, and it's been a tough adjustment in some ways. In other ways, my iPhone has made connecting to friends and family very easy, driving on US interstates is indescribably better than on Weno roads, and dressing comfortably is a far cry from the same pair of tattered yellow & grey shorts that I kept from the beginning. And when I freak out because the wireless at my house blinks off, I have to remind myself - first world problems. I kept a journal while I was in Micronesia, and it's my hope that I'll be disciplined enough to beginning posting some of those posts here, in lieu of having done it over the course of my time on .25 square mile islands. I'm also going to integrate my work at Baldwin Center into this blog, because this new adventure working for a faith-inspired, human services non-profit is a continuation of a professional journey in relationships. When asked what the best part of the Peace Corps was, my answer has never changed: the relationships I formed with my Mochese family, friends, church, and coworkers at the school. Now I'll be making relationships with people in Pontiac, Michigan, with the goal of feeding, clothing, educating, and empowering folks who are in need. So, stay tuned as I tie together the old and new, the Micronesian and American, the island-life with the city-life, and the sand with the snow.