The Letter "L"

Back in Eau Claire after an uneventful flight home, I am pondering the question that I asked our group: Now that you have finished the immersion, what was the most impressive learning experience for you?

Actually, everything was interesting (as you can tell by our prolific pens, pictures, and myriad post-immersion postings). However, one of the most telling experiences for me happened toward the end of our immersion.

On our last full day together, we took all the many remaining fresh apples and oranges (that had been left at the Steinbruck Center) by a prior group, and we bagged them and dispensed them to every homeless person we could find out and about in the early evening hours.

Among many interactions, I gave an apple to a very tired woman who was probably my age, though in the evening hours and with her hair curled and matted about her face, she looked much older. She was bundled up with so many blankets and under them, she had baskets of her meager personal possessions.

Her face looked fierce, however, her eyes were soft. To be frank, it seemed just like looking into the countenance of my mother, since both women shared a similar appearance, especially around the eyes. And, when she gently thanked me for that little piece of fruit, I felt as if I had given her a million dollars. She was very grateful, and I only wish I had more to give her.

The exchange is one that will stay with me for a long while to come. And even though it is one of the simplest, it is perhaps one of the most profound. That she had so little and was so appreciative touched me deeply.

I leave this immersion feeling fortunate. Counting my blessings for so many things ~ large and small.

In the words of an anonymous person: "I complained because I had no new shoes until I met a man who had no feet." We have all met that man through this experience. And speaking personally, I will never forget it.