My bike glides effortlessly through tree-lined streets, past houses and neighborhoods intricate in their design and presence. I propel seamlessly through the stream of traffic and weave in and out of cars, all the while experiencing the city and its diversity from an experiential perspective. I am one with the city, and my sweat hangs in the air and eventually collides with the ground.
Despite the ease with which I have gotten around the city, my return ride back to my home in the neighborhood of North Lawndale reminds me that the privilege of movement is not as easily accessible to the residents who have always lived in this part of town. There is poverty, there is injustice. There is violence, and there is drug abuse. And yet, there is hope.
Many of my thoughts are half-formed and I know that I'll have much more to say as I continue to work at Lawndale Christian Health Center as a complex care coordinator. I ended my first day at work today and I honestly feel like God dropped a box full of puppies into my lap; indeed, it has been a joyful week moving in and getting to know the people I'll be living and working alongside. Being here feels so right and I am amazed at what the Lord is doing and where he is leading me. I feel at home at Lawndale - this is the Lord's community and I am a proud member of it. Home: feels good to say it.
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