Sarah Cunningham has now written her second book, Picking Dandelions. It releases today, so you should run out and buy it. It’s fantastic and encouraging and you’re really going to like it! She uses her sense of humor and sharp wit to tell a story that really speaks to the heart of what most of us feel, as we learn how to be intentional about how we live life, who we interact with, and how involved we get with the needs of those around us. Her interactions with those who would easily be overlooked or pushed aside has changed her perspective. She focuses on weaknesses that are grown into amazing opportunities to give to those in need.
Gisele Nelson: You share several really compelling and beautiful stories of projects you’ve led and been apart of throughout your book. I’m positive there are many more that you had to leave out. Would you share one of those stories with us?
Sarah Cunningham: Some of the best stories aren’t big initiatives, but the stuff that comes out of one-on-one, life-on-life kinds of relationships. One that really touched me personally involved a guy named Lenze, who my husband and I befriended. He was homeless and schizophrenic–a combination that may be more common than people realize. Sadly, his disorder lead him to mistakenly believe someone had implanted a tracking device in his body and was following him, hoping to kill him. He literally lived every moment in fear. It was so tragic and so desperately far away from what God wanted for him. Lenze never healed or found a medication regimen that eased his condition, but over time, we slowly began to see him adopt a sense of strength and stability even in the midst of disease. Lenze would say things like “When they come after me, I pray because I know God will help me.” And a sense of calm would penetrate his panic for a moment. A year or so after we met Lenze, he died of a sudden seizure. And when I sat at his funeral, I was overwhelmed by how grateful I was to have witnessed such a broken, hurting human find God’s love in such a personalized way. Knowing Lenze showed me facets of God that I never knew existed.
Gisele: You played a really interesting role in the events following the 9/11 attacks in New York. Would you share a little about that experience?
Sarah: Man, that is a loaded question. September 11th itself was such a whirlwind, crashing down on our country all at once, before anyone knew what was happening. The relief efforts followed suit. It was this remarkable sequence-of-events, of prepping and pulling together supplies and stretching into the unfamiliar that probably couldn’t have been pulled off under any other circumstance. It was tremendous to witness the real human emotions and costs firsthand, knowing that one day I’d read about the place where I was standing in a history book. And it was mind-blowing to see how a search for meaning, almost a scavenger hunt for God, arose in the rubble of the towers. It was an example of how sometimes you can see things in the darkness that you cannot always see in the light.
Gisele: You have such a great personal track record of not sitting around talking about the problems with the world, but actually getting involved and doing what it takes to make things better in the communities where you are. What gets you inspired and motivated to keep doing good work?
Sarah: I think God wired us to be responsive to pain and suffering. We may be naturally compelled to intervene, for example, if we see harm coming to an animal or a small child. But sometimes we’re not so skilled at responding to other prompts inside of us. The prompts that suggest maybe we should offer a hand to the exasperated mom at the grocery store or sit down and drink a coffee with the lone elderly person at a restaurant. We’re afraid to step outside of “normal” even though something inside us is telling us its the right thing to do.
I remember one day, my grandma–who was from the pragmatic, World War 2 generation–said to me, “Sarah, you should leave that sort of thing to other people.” And as I was listening to her it just hit me. “Grandma, that’s who God wants me to be. I am the ‘other people’.” I hope to be more and more that ‘other person’ as I grow.
Gisele: I know there are many who may WANT to get involved in their communities, but are held back by either fear or by obstacles in their way. What advice would you give them to go ahead and do their part in restoring little pieces of Eden where they are?
Sarah: Sometimes people let the size of problems overwhelm them. They think, “I can’t make a dent in this issue, so what’s the use?” But I would challenge people to do something, even if its the smallest ’something’ they can think of, in response to these sort of Spirit-prompts. If they see a Salvation Army worker ringing a bell in the bitter cold, they may not be able to empty their savings account into the kettle, but they could dig out their loose change from the car for the kettle and pick up a hot chocolate for the bell-ringer. Step outside yourself by doing something just that simple, something so practical even a child could do it, even if it only takes just a couple minutes. I think people will find that the goodness nurtured in those moment stirs them toward bigger and deeper commitments to those in need.
Gisele: What are you onto next?
Sarah: Another big question. I’m starting a Creative Writing class for the inner city kids in the city where I teach (readers can follow this journey in my blog category, Skinny White Girl Inc.). The class will teach kids how to write for publication. I think it could help them draw out some very important things going on inside of them. I’m also about to start writing a new project myself about the commonality I believe God intended to exist between humans, which I think could have a very bonding affect on readers. Another thing that I’m exploring and learning to respond to is the ‘inhumane treatment of animals’ issue. Most people don’t realize how many of the cows we eat, for example, are raised in warehouses where they have no access to grass or fresh air…or how they are given hormones to race them through an entire life-cycle in one year. My friend, Erik, and Matthew Scully’s book, Dominion, have convinced me that the way America has industrialized animal life is not what God had in mind when he gave humans dominion over animal life. I’m not a vegetarian at this point, but I’m becoming a conscious eater and I challenge others to make informed decisions about their diet as well.
