On Saturday, August 30, twenty-nine African immigrants arrived at a Portland blood drive. Gabonese volunteers greeted them as they entered. They also greeted each other, smiled, said hi, hugged and prepared to donate life-giving sustenance for children with sickle cell disease.
The Red Cross and the Maine Gabonese community had organized this special event. The people of the Red Cross know that blood saves lives. They know of massive blood shortages. Their tireless workers keep on keepin’ on with blood drives Monday through Saturday throughout this state and others.
Gabonese people came to Maine to escape the very horrors and threats their compatriots now experience here. They came to work, to contribute. And this Saturday, whether in despair or not, they showed up. They shared their presence, their time and their blood to ease the lives of children.
The president of the Maine Gabonese community told me, “We like to reach out to support people when we can.”
She introduced me to donors. She told me they were thankful to the Red Cross. An employee, Gabonese himself, added that the Red Cross was thankful to those donating. I asked him, “I know there is a lot of anxiety in your community. What do you do when you feel stressed?”
He answered in French. “J’aide.” I help.
What moved me was their generosity of spirit, given the heavy demands on them. What stirred my heart was the heart of the staff, the volunteers and donors, not only for their own children, but for THE children. What touched me was their care beyond self to other, when many of us would feel the impulse to complain, shut down and isolate. What impressed me was how these people, in fear of how they might be treated or deported, gathered to help transform their individual and collective pain into purpose.
A lot is not working now in this country, in this world. These refugees showed us what IS working. They joined for a cause greater than themselves. People who suffer from trauma, from displacement, from fear of what might happen to them, connected. When collaborative energy and selfless action coalesce, something big happens. Maybe it’s hope. Maybe it’s grace. Maybe it’s love. Maybe it’s a force-field. Whatever we call this serving-something-larger, it matters not only to one recipient. It inspires the room. It affects the building, impacts the city, motivates others in Maine. A slogan on the Red Cross website from 2006 expands into, “When you help the American Red Cross, you help America.”
One tiny community showed us that, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
As each donor left the room, they smiled, said good-bye, hugged and prepared, as the president told me, for the next outreach project.
Of course, there is a pro-social reward in giving. The Red Cross notes that “blood donors report feeling a sense of great satisfaction after making their blood donation. Why? Because helping others in need just feels good.”
There are also teachings here for us. We all share the human potential to be lights for each other, no matter the darkness. The possibility to create change exists even in those of us who feel disillusioned with the country and world today. We could learn from the positivity that the Red Cross and the Gabonese community modeled: Do something meaningful; take nurturing action; celebrate others; serve a greater good.
(The saying in the image above is attributed to Confucius 551 – c. 479 BCE. That’s how old the insight is. Many others have quoted this wisdom over the centuries. To invite connection, I’d love to hear your stories of reaching out to connect and to help others when the going is tough for you. If you write and send them to me at sly313@aol.com, I’ll read, savor them, and respond. Let’s connect!)
