Earth Angels

A few nights ago I attended the Orange County Literacy Council's Annual Appreciation Banquet up at the Big Barn in Hillsborough. We've been going to these for years--in the beginning just David and me, then David and me and a baby, then David and me and a toddler and a baby, then just me and a pre-schooler and now just me. We finally gave up on bringing our kids the year Grace kept yelling out--tourette-style--"BOB!" at random intervals during the program. People do bring kids and babies, and the entire evening has this wonderful family dinner-type feel. Chicken, rolls, and drinks are provided and the rest is a true potluck or "cover(ed) dish" (as southerners like to call it). I love these types of meals, because people always bring a dish that they can do well, so the food always tastes really good. (And I noticed that people always eat what they brought). It's along the same lines as why I also love those church fundraiser cook-books with favorite recipes submitted by individuals--no one is going to put in a recipe that doesn't turn out well with their name associated with it.

Admittedly, I'm not the best cook, but I'm not the worst either. I brought sixteen mini pecan pies to the dinner the other night, and I'm proud to say that all of them were gone by the time I left. I picked up a different dessert, homemade fudge, because this man convinced me to try it. He said he knew it was good because his wife made it (see?). There are a few dishes that I do really well, without fail. Pecan pie is one of them. So is my potato salad and tunafish salad. And homemade waffles. Can't say that "Sarah's Famous Dry as a Bone Chicken" makes the list.

Tuesday's dinner was a feast. There were close to 100 people there and good food in abundance. After dinner, the next item on the program was for adult students to go up to the mic and read a short piece they wrote about their learning, their experience with their tutors, whatever they wanted to say. Several people got up and read slowly and even haltingly, but they were reading. And they were reading what they had written. One woman read that even though she has a long way to go in her education, she voted for the first time ever this year. This woman was in her 50's. One man is an aspiring minister and he read one of the first sermons that he had written. Two years ago he virtually couldn't read or write at all.

Then "Wendy" came up to the podium, a very pretty Asian woman, probably in her twenties. Her accent was heavy, but she read slowly and deiberately. She told us how she came to the US two years ago and wanted to go to college here as she is too old to go to college in her country. She said that when she found out that there was a place where she could go and people would help her with her English reading and writing for free, she didn't believe it at first. Why would people offer that kind of help for free? In her country, people warned you about getting something of value for free, it just didn't happen. She then told us that her country is China. Wendy described her tutor, "Jack," a middle-aged educated man with a kind face and clear blue eyes. I strained my next around the room to see if I could get a glimpse of Jack. She said that at her first meeting with Jack, she was so skeptical that he was really there of his own accord to help her with her goals. She thought to herself, "What does he want from me in return?" and then read to us that it was as if Jack was reading her mind that first day. He said, "Listen, I've been given a lot of help throughout my life, and now I want to give something back. There's a lot about your country that I'd like to learn, so just as I help you learn, you'll also be helping me learn." And their student-tutor relationship was forged.

We laughed as Wendy talked about Jack helping her when she got her first speeding ticket. She giggled awkwardly when she had trouble pronouncing "insidious," and other words, but we all rooted for her silently as she read through the words she 'd prepared. She shared how kind and smart Jack was and how much he helped her each week. She described that he offered to increase their sessions to three times a week in the months leading up to her TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam.

Then Wendy's voice cracked in the middle of her next sentence and her face scrunched up. There was a long pause. She started again, "Here I was in this strange..." He voice stopped and Wendy began to cry. Moments later, she apologized and tried a third time. "I was in this strange country..." and then she started weeping. Here she was in front of 100 people struggling to get the words out, but she couldn't finish. Jack humbly walked up beside her at the podium and put his arm gently around her shoulder. It was one of the most beautiful and pure and unscripted moments I've ever witnessed. Wendy wiped away her tears, and she was able to finish. "I was in this strange country with a strange culture, and there was this man who sat with me every week, and helped me with my reading and writing. Jack is what we would call an 'honored elder' in my country. Jack will always be my Angel."