But the impact of going into the community at large, meeting people where they live, became a spiritual experience for me, much more than weekly sitting in church, as I have done for years, with the same people. I was touched by the different responses: the elderly man whose distrust of media caused him to stop voting for years but who was now open to voting for this cause; the elderly woman whose fear of “Trump taking away social security so I can’t imagine another expense.”; the young couple’s delight at my visit for a cause they believed in; the sharp words of judgment from a woman who overheard my conversation with a neighbor and promptly ordered me off her property; finally, the woman who decided, after years of not voting, this was the year she would vote and stop complaining!
Opening my eyes, ears and heart to the many was the gift canvassing gave to me. May we all have more such opportunities to listen and learn from each other in the year to come!
Original article here: https://www.theolympian.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article223024245.html