Loving Your Neighbor

By Susie Wallin

“The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.” – George Eliot, Middlemarch. 

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down over hot drinks on a cold February morning with a woman whose family’s un-trumpeted charity breathes new life into this old quote.  Because she truly does remain to be “hidden,” I’ll refer to this woman as Hannah. 

 In November 2019, Hannah, her husband "Thomas," and their toddling daughter learned from Restoration Anglican Church’s pastor about a RILA client in dire straits.  Wheelchair-bound as a result of a peaceful protest turned violent in his home country, “Omar” was about to be turned out of the homeless shelter that had been his home for the past many months.  Omar had reached his time limit with the shelter, and with his asylum claim pending, he was not eligible for public-supported housing. 

Hannah and Thomas responded with little hesitation and fanfare, from what I surmise is a deep well of compassion, to a real need they could meet due to a wheelchair-accessible bedroom and bathroom in their newly renovated home.  “Why not?” was their thinking, as they stepped up to love their neighbor in one of the most meaningful yet challenging ways possible – by having said neighbor move in with you. 

This is what loving your neighbor looks and feels like: annoyances around the lack of privacy; difficult conversations around smoking; dropping everything to retrieve Omar from the location where his wheelchair battery has died; two professionals with full-time jobs spending time at the end of their day to help Omar with tedious paperwork. 

And this is also what loving your neighbor looks and feels like:  Watching your daughter and her new friend never tire of playing fetch and chase (with a slight advantage to the one in the wheelchair) and in the process develop a special fondness for each other; listening to the racket downstairs in the kitchen while daughter is sleeping only to learn that Omar is cleaning the kitchen for you with his one good hand; sharing a Christmas meal together; attending church as a family. 

And, finally,  this….“If I had known how hard this was going to be, I wouldn’t have done anything differently.  He needed a home.”

If you would like to support Hannah and Dan and Omar with a weekly delivery of a meal, please contact Susie.