What should I wear to work today ?

As a Salvation Army officer, I’m expected to wear a uniform to work and to public events in the community, as it identifies me as a representative of the Salvation Army and, by extension, the gospel. While navy and white does get boring, I’m spared the “what should I wear today?,” and Larry is spared having to answer the question husbands dread: “does this outfit make me look fat?” The choice is simple: navy blue skirt and the required off-black panty-hose or navy blue slacks.

Recently, however, I wore my United Way “Live United” tee-shirt to run some errands around town. Just as the Salvation Army uniform proclaims that I’m a person with certain values and beliefs, so too does that tee-shirt. When I put on that Live United tee-shirt, I declare that I value unity within diversity, and I believe we are much stronger together than we are when we think we’re independent.

This strength through connection could be labeled coincidence, but I’m convinced more than coincidence is happening in our community. In a spiritual sense, coincidence can be God’s way of staying anonymous, or, as Evelyn Underhill understood, “there is no such thing as coincidence, only God’s universe in the act of rhyming.” However, novelist Emma Bull gives an additional slant to its definition: “Coincidence is the word we use when we can’t see the hammers and the pulleys.” She’s absolutely right, for there are many invisible hammers and pulleys in motion across Ashland County. Some operate in churches and civic clubs, while others are centered in neighborhoods or United Way partner agencies. For instance, a ‘chance’ conversation put in motion the hammers and pulleys to connect a home health care patient who had lost the ability to communicate with the technology to free him to participate in his world again. A Family and Children First Council Care Team meeting connected a struggling family to a water pump for their vehicle, restoring their mobility and independence.
It’s no coincidence that children have safe and enriching places to be after school. It’s no coincidence that Red Cross’s response team is available 24/7 when disaster strikes. It’s no coincidence that cancer patients find a listening ear and help with medication. The hammers and pulleys in our community are hard at work, creating our own miracles day in and day out.
They are the hammers that repair homes and hearts and the pulleys that Ev DeVaul, Dennis Miller and United Way volunteers use to extract dollars from wallets to support the work of the hammers. The hammers and pulleys are operated by the professionals in agency offices, the high school and college students who are game for any task, and the volunteers of Ashland County who continue to amaze me with their willingness to serve.

Live United is much more than a catchy slogan: it has become a prophetic word for our community. A prophet is one whose task is two-fold; forth-telling and fore-telling. On one hand, “live united” acknowledges who we are, for it recognizes the truth of our town and county – that we do feel a sense of responsibility and care for each other, even the “each others” that we’ve never met. In the same breath, it also challenges us to take up the banner of living in a united sense, working steadily to connect resources to need.

It’s as simple as sharing garden produce with a neighbor or food panty, which I’ll do if my 100 green tomatoes ever ripen. It’s as hard as making a sacrificial financial contribution to United Way. It’s as tiring as a night with the church-based ACCESS program for homeless families. It’s as joyous as celebrating a year’s anniversary of sobriety with a neighbor.
There are times in our lives when we are forced to admit: “I can’t do it.” Yet the prophecy of the slogan and the promise of a community who “lives united” is that we don’t have to journey alone. We do care about each other, we believe for each other, and we keep the light of hope burning through the dark night.

That’s why we can wear that tee-shirt proudly, Ashland and LIVE UNITED!


Major JoAnn Shade ministers with her husband Larry as the corps officers and Directors of the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. She received a B.A. in sociology from S.U.N.Y. at Binghamton, a M.A. in Pastoral Counseling, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Ashland Theological Seminary in June, 2006. She is a prolific writer, lecturer, and busy counselor and has contributed to this blog since its inception.