I love words! Sometimes I think words are my best friends. Kinda weird, right? The fascination comes from the ambiguous and vagarious nature of words that make them come to life, dancing in my brain as they tease me by asking, “Just how great is the power of words?”
I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.
Prior to the Betty Bag Project women’s event in partnership with City Union Mission, last month I wrote LOTS of words. There were gazillions of emails and texts, tons of lists, an event invitation, Facebook posts, and a book for the women we were to meet.
But you know what, Dear Reader? It wasn’t all those words that brought me the most joy as we moved among our sisters. Interactions became a cautionary tale and reminder of the vagaries and ambiguous nature of words to this writer.
Everything about this woman spoke of humility. She silently looked at the items the team brought to share, sometimes lightly touching one. Her eyes were mostly downcast, and when she lifted them, hurt seemed to have been briefly pushed aside by wonder.
When she softly asked if she could have one of the wallets, I nearly lost it. And when she shyly smiled and nodded her thanks, no words could capture the moment.
I wish I could show you the face of the young mother on the left. She was so excited to show off the large purse with lots of pockets to our City Union MIssion liaison, Grace. The joy on these two faces as they were learning about the power of women coming together was absolutely priceless.
Another guest had no words but had no problem expressing her thanks to Grace with a hug. The guest in the purple sweater hugged everyone on the team at least once, and blessed us with her beautiful smile.
Staff, like these incredible women, welcomed us with smiles, hugs, and helping hands. They generously shared themselves with the Betty Bag Project Team and the guests.
Our team photographer, Michelle, was amazing at capturing amazing moments when the subjects were none the wiser. She managed to snatch my absolute favorite interactions of the day.
Last, but not the least, is the team that was blessed beyond measure. The outpouring of resources from people like you made the day possible. And with or without words, we were blessed to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Thank you, City Union Mission and our Betty Bag partners!
A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed.
