I felt that one of Trey’s biggest desires was recognition. I vividly remember at one point in the conversation while Michael was talking, Trey, who was standing off to the side, said something that no one either heard or listened to; however, I made eye contact with him, smiled, and nodded my head to let him know that I heard him. At that point Trey smiled at me and said, “Now that’s what I’m talking about. Just the fact that you nodded your head and gave a smile shows me that you cared.” That really hit me hard. I never really thought about how much a small smile or just the nod of a head could do for someone, homeless or not. Since then, I’ve tried my best to give a smile to someone I make eye contact with in the hallway or anywhere else I find myself during the day. It makes my day a little brighter when that recognition is reciprocated, and I can understand just a small part of the joy Trey felt in that moment.
I’ve talked with many homeless people before; however, I never really sat down and listened to what they had to say for more than five or ten minutes. Over the years, I’ve learned the importance of family. This is one thing I hear in almost every conversation I’ve had with someone who was homeless at the time or had been homeless before. Family relationships are more important than I have realized. Yes, they are your family, and that should be enough of a reason to love them. However, I believe that we don’t appreciate our family enough until they’re gone. They are our biggest supporters in life, they provide us with our first knowledges of the world, and give us the strength to get through any struggles we may be presented with. What happens when all of that is just gone? We lose the ones who know us best, who know what makes us happy and what sparks our deeper emotions. We lose the love they have endlessly provided us with.
To be honest I was a little nervous when we went up to talk to Trey in the park. I’m not very good at talking with strangers or any people in general. Seeing how open and willing Trey was to share his hardships and his life with us was tremendously eye opening, he knew nothing about us, and still he chose to expose such a vulnerable part of himself to us. Vulnerability is something I think many people in this time struggle with, no one wants to be seen as less than they are, no one wants to be judged or rejected by those around them. But, the thing about Trey is that he, unfortunately, has already been rejected by the ones he loved the most. And with that rejection, it’s almost as if he has nothing left to lose, and he can either choose to shut out those that try to get closer to him, or accept his situation and help others learn by sharing what he has been through. Being vulnerable is not being weak. It takes immense strength to be able to expose the deepest parts of yourself to someone, especially strangers.
Vulnerability follows with everything we do in life, and lately I think it has been closely associated with religion. By proclaiming our faith and following God we expose ourselves to the harsh words of those that disagree with us. When we follow God we give Him the purest form of ourselves, not matter what it looks like. It takes a great love and strength for those that are endlessly criticized to continue to follow God and listen to Him and Him only. By following God we are vulnerable, we put our life into His hands, and accept the fact that we cannot control what happens to us, and that it is entirely up to Him. However, there is a comfort in this vulnerability, because the one person who could never reject us is God, He loves us in our worst days and in our best, and He will never abandon us. Even if those closest to us turn away, if we have God’s love, we have all we will ever need. I admire Trey for the resilience he has been able to acquire after so many challenges in his life. But, most of all, I strive to match his willingness to be vulnerable in my own life, and to God, and know that whatever He has for me in the future is greater than I could ever imagine.
I didn’t really have an idea of what this experience would be like. I knew the street retreat would be different for everyone. A few minutes before I left for the bus I got a text from a good friend that simply said, “This opportunity is what you make of it, have fun, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I kept this in mind as we made our way to the different spots of the retreat. I truly enjoyed all the things we did on the retreat. I love hearing people talk about their life or about anything really, so sitting there and talking to Trey and Michael for those couple of hours was very heartwarming. Trey’s willingness to share his life story with us was so impactful. It was amazing to me how he was able to just pour almost everything out for us. I will never forget that. I tried to make the most of this opportunity. I promised them I would be back, and I intend to keep that promise, and when I return I’ll have two St. Michael’s lacrosse shirts in one hand, and an open heart in the other.
–Isabella Oballo, 9/24/18
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