A good friend and I often remind each other that “we’re on each other’s team”. By this we mean that we’ve got each other’s backs, we’re cheering for each other, and we believe in each other.
I’ve been noticing lots of examples of this around the Dale recently too:
A woman in distress came up to me and asked when the food bank would be open next. I didn’t know, off hand, but asked another community member who did. We’re on each other’s team.
A community member has a big dream to get his art out into the wider world. Erinn and I were taking him downtown to follow a potential lead, and another member from the community offered to come along for moral support. He also kept us laughing the entire time. We’re on each other’s team.
This same friend, who came along for the ride, has the daunting task of looking for a new housing situation. Another community member recently went with him to check out some possible apartments. We’re on each other’s team.
While we were on night time outreach last week, a dear friend who lacks any sort of stable housing told us “If you have any trouble, you come right back here and find me.” We’re on each other’s team.
A person who struggles with anger management, and has torn a strip off me way more than once, saw me parking my bike in Parkdale one evening. He asked me “Don’t you ever stop? You’re always on the go! You need to take a break! Go home and put your feet up!” Despite the fact that he sometimes seems determined not to be, in that moment he was on my team, and I think he knows that I’m on his too.
A friend recently came up with an entrepreneurial scheme to get himself out of poverty. He told us about it excitedly, and then yelled “Red rover, red rover, calling Jesus over!” I love that. As joking as he was being, I think he knows that there’s One who he really needs on his team.
I’m so grateful to be part of this wildly diverse, eclectic, beautiful and blessed team.
