Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Groceries and Health, Part 1: Our Neighbors

Tonight, my wife and I went to the grocery store. I suppose it was a pretty typical thing to do, but with the way things have been going, sharing little chores has been one of the only chances we've had to talk to each other.

Life has been pretty busy lately.

Our jobs have been especially challenging over the past few weeks. We both work at Central Dallas Ministries, and feel very blessed to have the chance to work for such an amazing organization. We love what we do! The work isn't easy, but we've never enjoyed our lives more.

Of course, my wife can have some pretty hard days at work.

She's an attorney in CDM's L.A.W. Center (Legal Action Works). She deals with some amazing people going through situations that I cannot even fathom. The courage that it must take for some people to face their mornings is beyond my comprehension.

Needless to say, it has been a lesson in appreciation for both of us.

Today, one of her clients was talking with her about health. Although her specialty is the law, my wife generally finds that her practice reaches into many areas outside the court. In fact, that's usually where the heart of the problems lies.

Her client was suffering from Diabetes. She is extremely poor, and has trouble cooking foods that are both healthy and also on her budget.

As we walked through the grocery store, my wife and I basically bought whatever we wanted. We were conscious of price - maybe buying the store labels instead of the brand names -- but we could purchase all that we needed.

That's not the case for my wife's client. When Natalie (my wife) recommended some recipes, her client looked down at the ground.

"I can't afford vegetables," she said.

Tomorrow, my wife is going to call the people at CDM's CODE: Community Outreach Diabetes Education program. She's going to try to help her client get enrolled in their services.

CDM also has a Community Health Promotions Coordinator who has a special interest in teaching people how to eat healthy and on a budget. We're going to try to match her up with my wife's client.

I can't afford vegetables.

These programs will help her. Hopefully, they will teach her to manage her Diabetes, and to find ways to stretch her limited budget. But will they do enough?

I can't afford vegetables.

We have so much work to do. So very much work to do.

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