Day 2 of Lenten

For today's way to celebrate Lent, I focused on the community. As I mentioned in yesterdays post, this year has been very difficult. The political climate is extremely hostile, people are full of fear and hate, and many people are feeling less welcomed or valued in our country.  The social worker part of me jumps into activism mode, marching at the Womens March, joining action committess and speaking out through social media. But one thing that i feel I have not done a good job of, is demonstrating those values on a more personal level.  So today I decided to stop by the Muslim Community Center near us, take them some cookies, and to tell them that they are valued and appreciated. My orginal plan was to do this a few weeks ago, but of course life happened and I kept pushing it off. Then as I contemplated Lent, i thought this would be a perfect time to demonstrate my faith in action.  As i drove to the center, I was surprised that I felt a little nervous. Mainly because i didnt want to sound stupid, and then start talking myself out of doing it. Like, its a Friday afternoon, there is probably no one there, I dont want to waste money on cookies that nobody will eat, etc. But as I turned the radio on, NPR was covering a story about the rise of animosity towards Muslim Americans. There was a call to action from a pastor saying that people need to reach out and connect with Muslims in thier communities to break the fear that currently exists.  With this in my mind, I found a new local bakery to support, bought 1 dozen cookies and went to the center. As I imagined, there were only about 4 cars in the parking lot. I walked up to the buiding and went in, and there was 1 person (an intern) sitting at a table inside. I told her why I was there, and although many staff were gone for the day, she introduced me to the director. The director was very kind, thanked me for the cookies and got me some information about thier agency and services. She also asked for my card to follow up.

It wasnt a groundbreaking experience, but i am glad I did it. It put me out of my comfort zone a little bit, and hopefully made their day better.

And on to tomorrow...