When I think of people living well into their older years, my
friend Kathi comes to mind immediately. At a season when most
people are clearing out their desks and giving away their teaching supplies, she
continues to be a teacher and a student of life. For years, she raised her kids
as a single mom and adopted three kids along the way. Today, only her middle-aged
Down’s Syndrome son lives with her, and together they’ve made a major life
move.
Kathi recently took the courageous step of selling her house in a
comfortable Richmond suburb and moving into the inner city onto a street
surrounded by abandoned houses in a neighborhood residents would know from
newscasts because of its constant crime and violence.
Did I mention alone as a single mom?
In fact, her next door neighbor came over to introduce himself on
her move-in day saying, “The drug dealers are on that corner down there, and
the prostitutes hang out on the other end. I know them all, so they’ll leave
you alone. But listen to me when I tell you that you should NEVER, EVER, EVER
open your door at night to anyone. Do you hear me?”
Out of concern, I asked her if she would be safe moving there,
she replied, “Well, who’s really safe anywhere?”
I think her answer
meant “no” or “it doesn’t really matter.”
She works with an
organization called CHAT (Church Hill Activities and Tutoring) whose staff members also live in the neighborhood. Not only
do they live among marginalized people, but they’ve chosen to put their kids in
failing public schools to share in that experience with their neighbors. A scripture on Kathi’s newsletter sent out to
family and friends aptly describes their actions: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”
I realize her choice is
more radical than most of us will make in our lifetime, me included. And I
realize some people will feel this post is guilt producing. But the point in
sharing Kathi’s life is to say that we all have fears to step into and
challenges to face in our own lives that may not resemble Kathi’s choice in the
least, some on a much smaller scale but important for our sphere
of influence.
Kathi’s choice made me consider what fears
keep me from taking risks and following my own calling and passions. Just stepping
into those fears can be transformative – for us and for others. The interesting
part of fear is how it sort of moves out of our way and evaporates when we push
into it.
I salute this woman, this
aging lifestyle, this desire to live fully and adventurously – and a little bit
dangerously – right to the end. Speaking of the end, the back of Kathi’s house
abuts a senior citizen home. She jokingly says she won’t have far to move when
she “gets old.”