When one of my friends was 18 years old, he traveled to Chicago for a service trip. He and other young people stayed with host families who were receiving services from the organization they had come to serve alongside.
The family he stayed with struggled deeply with poverty, and they were regularly neglected by their housing complex. Their home often had mice and roaches. In the midst of these challenges, they were deeply hospitable to the young people who stayed with them, and over a few days, meaningful friendships began to form.
One morning, my friend noticed a particular clock in the kitchen. Underneath it, the family had written the words, “Nebraska Time.” When he asked about it, they explained that it marked the time in Nebraska. Of course, Chicago and Nebraska are both in the Central Time Zone, so this analog clock was no different from any other clock they might see that day in the city.
But it carried so much meaning.
This family had contacts in Nebraska. People they loved. A place where they believed they could get a new start. It was their dream to move there and begin again.
Every day, they saw that label, and with it in front of them, they dreamed. Did they ever get there? I don’t know. My friend doesn’t know either. But the Nebraska Time clock had a powerful effect on their lives in the present moment. It didn’t only give them hope or a vision for the future. That imagined future seemed to reach back and shape their present, as well. It helped them hold onto hope in their current circumstances and continue building partnerships and friendships that aligned with their goals.
I wonder, do you have anything like that?
An idea or vision you hold for your future — or something that represents your deepest hopes or values so clearly that it is shaping how you live right now?
Might you?
—Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 