Today’s author is Prince of Peace member, Andrew Hannesh.
As I drove into work this week, I thought back to a year ago when Julene and I began having issues with both cars we owned. My Ford Focus had died while driving down I-94 and had to be towed to a shop in Maplewood who told me the transmission had quit. Not wanting to drop the $6-7k (basically the car’s value), I cut my losses and sold it and Julene and I prepared for a life of sharing a car when our daily lives take us in the opposite direction (Julene usually to Roseville and me to Woodbury). Hardly two months later, Julene was hit in our remaining Ford Police Interceptor by an old woman heading to pick up her morning McMuffin.
I don’t know that either of us were prepared to spend the next month with no cars, but it did provide both of us with the unique perspective of life relying on public transportation. Luckily, there is a set of bus routes that will drop me off pretty close to the front door to my office with only 1 transfer, but getting to Prince of Peace 2+ times per week in Julene’s case was a bit of a nightmare. From our apartment in downtown St Paul, you have two options: either take the light rail and then the bus, or take two busses. Both options spit you out in the same spot, County Road B and Victoria, about a mile from church. I have brought this thought to the Campus Planning Task Force as Prince of Peace considers using our surplus land for an affordable housing project as I believe we need to consider this regardless of the housing project the congregation decides to move forward with.
Personally, I did not mind riding the bus. While it lengthened my commute from 15 minutes to just over an hour, it gave me some time to decompress after work with music or a podcast. It also gave me time to think about putting myself in the shoes of people who use public transportation on a daily basis – mothers with children, older children heading to school, people travelling to and from their work. I appreciate the perspective those experiences gave me, especially as the weather got colder and I was the person standing in with little or no shelter as the wind whipped at my face.
Today, I want to pray for those in our community that have unstable transportation. I pray that they are able to safely get where they need to go – for work or school, to pick up groceries and food for their family, or to see family and friends. I pray for the leaders in our community and all drivers, mechanics, cleaning crews, etc. that work to keep public transportation moving smoothly, that they can continue to serve the population that relies on them.