Numbers that Have Meaning

Yesterday’s meeting of Union Mission’s Board of Directors was held in the Community Center of the Dutch Town Campus. This is a newly constructed 48 unit apartment complex on Savannah’s south side. It cost $6 Million and it is beautiful. It is also exclusively for people who have been chronically homeless.
So we zipped through the agenda over a lunch of bar-b-q chicken, pork, green beans, and dirty rice. The Starfish Café couldn’t cater the meeting as it usually does and for some reason Lavanda decided that the entire Board should “carp it up” so “Sticky Finger’s” catered. Now Savannah has a hundred excellent bar-b-q establishments, none of which are chains, but Lavanda must have wanted Memphis where “Sticky Fingers” originated so she blew off the good stuff for the average stuff. Any, I digress.
During staff presentations, I go first and then turn it over to one of the Vice-Presidents who spotlight her program. Letitia Robinson welcomed everyone and gushed with pride over the 5 ½ acre site. Nineteen of the 48 units are now occupied and she wanted us to meet two of them.
A petite woman with striking long reddish brown hair stood with a piece of white paper in front of her. Written on the paper were the numbers “5” and “1”.
“Hello, my name is Annette. Before I came here I was homeless. My son could stay with some friends of mine but they didn’t have any room for me. So this was my life. I would be at their house every morning to wake my son up, help with breakfast and walk him to school. Then I would find something to do during the day.”
“When he got out of school, I would be waiting on him. We would return to my friend’s house and I would help him with his homework, and he would eat supper, and I would put him to bed. And then I would have to leave. I slept in the bus station.”
“Then the bus station kicked me out and I had to move into a shelter. I had to be in the shelter at 6:00 so I couldn’t tell my son good night. The “5” represents the number of pounds that I was losing each week while I lived this way.”
“Then I moved here,” she said with a smile. “My son and I are reunited. He is doing great! And I am doing great! The “1” represents the pounds that I have gained every week since I have been here.”
Everyone burst into applause.
Then a short woman in a green sweater with short black hair stood and began to speak. In front of her was a piece of paper with the numbers “4” and “1” written on it.
“My name is Tonya. I am legally blind. I have renal failure. I lived in my car before I came here. I had a bag of clothes but they were not nice things. I survived by spending my days as hospitals as both a patient and a fake. I was in the emergency room all of the time. I also have a mental illness and back then I was taking 18 pills every day.”
“I was also a fake. I would go to the hospital waiting room, usually in ICU, and pretend that I was the member of someone’s family. I would sleep in the chair and bathe in the bathroom as best I could.”
“Then I came here, into the first place that I have ever called my own! The number “4” represents the number of pills that I now take every day. And the number “2”, well, it is actually two ones. The vision in my eye has improved by 1% since I have been here! And the other “1” is this is the first home that has ever been mine! I feel safe here when I lock the door. I love sweeping the floor. I love it all. Thank you!”
Again the room burst into applause. I sat there wiping moisture from my eyes. As horrible as the last couple of years have been --- and as difficult as I am having it right now --- it was all worth it.
Then Letitia said, “Who could follow that? I have nothing else to say.” And Lavanda and I looked at one another and burst out laughing in front of the Board of Directors. It was the first time that we had ever seen anybody shut Letitia up. Ever! But what a way to do it!!