The Water Center

In 2005 I registered for a course called The Landmark Forum. It's the first course in what Landmark Education calls "The curriculum for living." In this course there were about 150 people from many different backgrounds. We began having a conversation about "problems." It was during this conversation that the Landmark Forum leader made the following statement, "It's not that your problems are so big, it's that your problems are not big enough." Of course that provoked more discussion and internal dialogues that listed individual problems and thoughts of "She doesn't know me, I've got xxx going on..."

That statement was to introduce the idea that most of us spend our lives focused on our own individual issues. My phone bill, my rent, my car, my job... The leader of the discussion used the example of Martin Luther King, Jr. who took on a bigger "problem" a bigger issue if you will. A problem of racism in this country. He had a phone bill, rent due, children to feed. And, there was a problem of racism in this country. Did his other issues go away? No. Even after he paid his rent, phone bill, gas bill, power bill, fed his children, would racism still exists. Yes. Is racism still a problem in this country? Yes! But did he make a difference that made a difference, in the face of all of his other problems. Yes.

About six years ago I worked for a safe house in Los Angeles called The Jenesse Center. It was a safe house for women and children leaving domestic violence situations. My job at the center was to work with the children. I assisted with craft projects, created Mommy and me programs, read, played, cried, laughed. All of it. Not necessarily in that order. Since that time at the center I have often thought of creating something like that. A safe, healing place where women could go with their children. I scratched out ideas on countless sheets of paper of what it would look like, what services it would provide.

I have always been passionate about helping people in this circumstance. Last year, I began posting blogs on my myspace page about women and domestic violence. Those stories, called Red Stories have been transferred to this blog. If you have not read them I invite you to do so. My intention with this blog is to include interviews with men, women, children who have lived through / are living in this situation.

I was on the phone with my cousin April this evening and she, seemingly out of the blue, said, "Jaha, I want you to win the lottery." When I perused my thoughts about what I would really do with my lottery winnings, I said, "Me too. I would open up a home for women and children who are leaving situations of domestic violence." Suddenly all of the paper scratches from years ago started coming together. We talked more about my dream safe house and then I had to get off of the phone.

I started thinking about that conversation years ago in that room in Los Angeles at Landmark Education and my "problems" and how they are going to be there whether or not I am taking steps toward my dream. My $71.00 power bill gets smaller and loses power the more I thought about how this dream could become a reality, one step at a time. I thought about the impact I could make with so many people. The difference that makes a difference that I could be.

We spend our time praying and sending God everywhere, when really God uses us. He/She uses our hands to heal, our mouths to speak, our fingers to touch. Why not me? Why not you?

So I don't know where the center will be. Not yet. But it will be. It will be called THE WATER CENTER. There is healing in water, strength in water, purity, forgiveness, power, future.

Please stay on the lookout for more Red Stories, more interviews, more conversations. Please send your prayers, keep watching while one brick at a time, THE WATER CENTER is built.