Unveiling a Generous Heart
By Nhi., Volunteer in Brooklyn
It has been a bit more than 2 years since I first met Elaine. She is one of the faithful friends who come to our gathering every Saturday afternoon at the women’s shelter. I often heard different ladies at the shelter saying that living at the shelter is stressful. Sometimes, violence happens. You get along with someone and then the next day you can dislike each other. You have to be tougher or show your louder voice to avoid troublemakers. That’s what Elaine sometimes had to do. However, the more I get to know her, the more I realize that she is such a generous, outgoing person and a great artist. A couple of months ago, she received a very tiny apartment. She welcomed Sofia and me to her new home and served us very good appetizers even though she doesn’t have much money. She really gave everything out of friendship and love for us. Listening to her, I learned that leaving the shelter is a long process, both physically and emotionally. Having a private space is not enough. It takes time to reintegrate into society, to be reintroduced to a healthy environment, so that one can trust and forget the difficult memories that cause one to close oneself off or cling to fear. She is aware that being tough and yelling at someone is not who she is. She wants to be who she used to be – open and friendly.
To celebrate her birthday, I invited her to visit MoMa together. She was blossoming with joy. It was a simple time together, yet it awakened her talents. Seeing artworks with her was like having a professional artist guide you through the art world. So fascinating! The highlight of that day for me was the moment when Elaine offered to help a young man who was in a wheelchair and trying to take a selfie of himself with one of Monet’s paintings. She was in a position of half kneeling and half standing, trying to capture a great angle for that young man. I won’t forget the smile on his face. He was delighted! She was happy too. Thinking of that, I realized that she has never changed. Her generous heart is always there. It is just waiting for others to allow it to serve.