For the past several months Elijah has been asking to take a ride on the green Rover, our mass transit system here in Murfreesboro. There is a hub up the street from his school and the mornings he goes to school we always see a bus sitting there.
Today--finally--was the day to make that happen. After his nap we looked up the schedule and got Andy to drop us off at the bus stop.
What began as a joy ride for us left me in tears as I became overwhelmed with the fact that we are so abundantly blessed and in need of NOTHING.
The other passengers and driver were so super friendly but the struggles of life were real on their faces. One man told me how he was trying to get on disability, another lost their job because they had no transportation to the Nissan factory (Rover doesn't go outside of the city limits--most of the entry level jobs are in other cheaper parts of our county). We met a blind man and a cook from a hotel who was absolutely exhausted. These situations and stories aren't new to me--transportation is a HUGE struggle for the working poor in our area (the bus service stops at 6:00pm and only runs Monday-Friday within the city limits, etc) but sitting on that bus reminded me of my own childhood.
We waited for the bus with a single mom of three kids--ages 7,6 and 4--who works at the McDonald's across from the bus stop.
I don't like to speak often of my childhood as we had it pretty rough but that was my mom once upon a time. Single mom of three stair stepper kids catching the bus--everywhere. No money for a car. Shoot, half the time not enough money for the bus.
We would climb onto the bus with our grocery bags, double stroller, laundry, etc and the bus driver would usually have pity on us. If we were catching the subway we would have to climb under the turn style. Other passengers would either stare at us or turn their gaze from having to look at us. We were a mess in so many ways. When we didn't have money and the driver wouldn't take whatever my mom had we would all climb down off the bus angry and would wait for the next one. I used to think that life wasn't fair. It isn't.
I remember feeling embarrassed. I remember feeling shamed. I remember making sure my younger brother and sister were quiet, seated and that all of our gear was out of the way as my mom (always exhausted) collapsed into a seat. Oftentimes she would stand with some amount of gear so that we could sit. We would arrange things under our feet and on our laps and snuggle in to the hard, cold seats to get home.
Today riding the bus was a privilege. A joy ride for my two year old son. Something that he loved. He loved the ride, the people, and the awesome Rover coloring book he was given.
Things in life have changed and I am so extremely humbled and grateful, but also mindful of those who are where I was years ago. Tonight I think and pray for them that God would provide for their needs, that they will meet kind faces, and that they will feel true love that comes only from God.
