"Small Acts of Justice"

"Like Making a Sandwich"

Hello♡,

I went to one of my best friend’s church over the weekend, and the priest taught about the work of Jesus and Martin Luther King Jr.

Photo by Unseen Histories on Unsplash

And he compelled us all listening to not underestimate the “small acts of justice” we can each do every day. And what he said next has been ringing in my mind ever since…he said, “small acts of justice, like making a sandwich.”

Now he said many other things and the work of justice is intersectional and layered, and systemic and interpersonal, and it is urgent. But he was referring to one of the important ministries of the church, feeding those in need, when he described “making a sandwich” as a small act of justice.

And I thought, we can all make a sandwich, literally and metaphorically, and also - how can we not? How can we, in whatever privileges we might individually live in, not make a sandwich? I know there is so much work that needs to be done, and I am certainly not trying to minimize any of it, nor the injustices facing so many of our neighbors every day. What I am saying is that there is something about the everyday language of “making a sandwich” as a work of justice that makes it impossible to do anything but that, that makes it impossible to say “it’s too big I don’t know where to start.” We can all start somewhere. This is our work to do.

This morning I volunteered as I regularly do with Love Beyond Walls. And every time I do I think of the words of the founder Terence Lester about the work of serving those experiencing homelessness, about the work of justice…he said in one of his books, “many people are willing, but not many people are available.” And when I read those words I thought, well that’s me. Our willingness and even our concern and care is not the same as our availability for action. Thinking about making a sandwich is just not the same as making a sandwich. (Listen to Terence on the Still Becoming Podcast here).

And so on this important weekend honoring MLK - when far too often there is much more said than done, I wonder how available we could get? How much we could find the smallest way to start, to make a sandwich metaphorically, and to do our part in the work of justice.

This morning at Love Beyond Walls, Cecilia Lester shared this MLK quote: “Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”―Martin Luther King Jr.

With you,

Monica

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Also….

Have you listened to this episode yet? I have heard so much feedback about this episode, and I am so moved and grateful. I hope you will listen in to this sacred conversation with my friend Tasha Hunter if you haven’t yet.

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The Here App, the app I co-created, has come to an end for now. I am grateful, sad, and honestly a little relieved. It was a lot of work! It was also a beautiful project, but the co-founder and I both have other projects on the horizon (booook!!!) that must take the lead. Thank you to those of you that supported this work!!