She is small of stature with fine features, probably in her 60s. Her clothing is simple. She may be small and finely featured, but she is deceptively strong. She has come for food to support her family for at least the past several years. She wears a colorful bandana and mask and gloves. Each week since the COVID epidemic began she has risked her life to serve alongside us. It has been a very hard season, and she has not waivered.
She speaks no English. She arrives each Saturday about 7:30 and puts out her hand, her eyes smiling from behind her mask. I know she’s asking for a broom and dust pan, not a handout. Each week she sweeps the driveway from one end to the other without anyone asking her to. It takes about an hour, and it always is done perfectly. It just needs it and it’s a way she can participate. She is family to us.
She is quiet, but joyful. She is brave. She can be as fierce as she is joyful. And she is faithful, week in and week out. It still amazes me that God has allowed me to know people like this…to live my life among them. This is our community.