Debbie:
She is a large woman, not just chubby, but tall. She wears shirt that barely contain her swollen stomach. She has big gaps between all of her front teeth that show all the time when she smiles. She talks with a voice that has seen far too many cigarettes and splifs, but that doesn't make her words any less sincere. Her sincerity is of someone who has nothing to loose.
She tells us that what she really needs is a job, but is always willing to take a prayer instead. We told her that prayer was what we had, and she accepted it gratefully. Debbie has Five boys, ranging from 4-26 years old... SHE HAS SEEN HARD TIMES.
Debbie is a friend ours, mine and Philip's. She knows we have something to share wants it for her whole family. She tells us to come on Fridays so her whole family, children, sisters, cousins and all, can share in "Reflections On The Life Of The Spirit." We explain to her how it serves as the first step for them to build a more unified neighborhood, and she understands and believes in this process. She know us for our prayers and the beauty and sincerity of our words, but no matter how beautiful, they are still just words.
Friday is for Friendship. Debbie flashes her friendly smile when she sees us coming down the path, but the stresses worries of the day quickly revealed themselves in her face. She points at an enormous pile of sand that was obviously just drop off, and tells us it needs to be taken to her house about 50 meters down the path. It is just starting to rain, but the storm is on the way.
Her face showed her regret, for having to postpone our time together yet again, but she shone like a diamond when we picked up the shovels and started to load the two wheel barrows. You could almost see our friendship transform in her mind. Our care and dedication to her well being had transcended words and was being expressed in deeds as solid as the concrete that the sand we loaded would become. We spent the next hour and a half loading sanding into the barrows, then talking to her while two other young men ran them to the house. Our friendship became something she was proud of. She told passers by about us and what we do. One of them made a joking comment that it was a long time coming that some Jamaicans stood around while some white males did the work.
We laughed, learned and sang prayer songs, built veritable friendships, and have the blessing of being able to show our love through actions.
"Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone, let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 15)
