We received a few interested looks from people in suits who walked by the south side of the Statehouse this morning. Today, I played a game of catch with Senator Fady Qaddoura of District 30. This district includes the church and surrounding neighborhoods. I know Sen. Fady keeps a tight schedule, even on a Monday, as he met me after a morning session at a national state legislators conference being hosted downtown, so I’m grateful for the time we had together to play catch.
Sen. Fady has an amazing story to share. I learn something new about him every time we meet. He grew up in the West Bank, Palestine, not far from Jerusalem, and immigrated to the United States in 2000 to study at the University of New Orleans. He shared with me as we played catch that he grew up playing soccer, but would give a game of catch with a baseball a shot. He was a pro with a good throwing arm and a solid catch. It’s true, even though we don’t have any video evidence of our game of catch!
Our stories come together in New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina hit the city and the Gulf Coast in 2005, he lost everything including his home. That same year I went to New Orleans as a missionary to help clean up debris and destruction left in the wake of the storm and flood. We both had very different experiences of the storm, but we share memories of New Orleans during that season.
As we tossed the ball back and forth with the grand Statehouse behind us, Sen. Fady, said, “What’s more American than an immigrant playing baseball.” I told him that quote is going in my blog as we both laughed, then he added, “along with living out our American values too.”
A part of the value that Sen. Fady was talking about was the gift of bringing people together across the boundaries that divide us. A good example is how the faith community came together with elected governmental leaders and those in the mental and physical health communities, to support the work of Senate Bill 1, which supported the expansion of mental health care in our state. When we prioritize the needs of people in front of us: in our congregations, in our communities, and in our state, we will find so many more things that bring us together rather than divide us.
Sen. Fady is the first Muslim Arab American elected to the legislature in the history of Indiana. It would have been quite unique for anyone walking by this morning to inquire further about the two of us playing catch. One catch partner was a clergyperson in The United Methodist Church from Indiana and the other was a State Senator who is an immigrant, playing a game of catch for a great cause. There’s nothing more American than that!
As we started to wrap up our game of catch, Sen. Fady said, “I could do this all day. It’s therapeutic.” Exactly! That’s the gift of a simple game of catch. Today Sen. Fady broke up a day of meetings with a short game of catch on the Statehouse lawn. There is something freeing, settling, and exciting about something so simple. I’m so glad that Sen. Fady experienced a little example of that this morning.
Thank you again to Sen. Fady Qaddoura and his team for making this game of catch happen!
A quick update on the financial fundraiser for Gleaners. As of this afternoon, we are over $16,200. It’s really amazing! Thank you to everyone who has donated, played catch with me, and shared my fundraiser with others! I’m overwhelmed with the generosity of so many who helped to shatter my original goal of $15,420.
I think it’s time to increase the goal to $20,000. Let’s keep it going!
If you feel moved to share a financial donation for my Gleaners fundraiser, use the link below.
https://give.gleaners.org/fundraiser/4739257
Get outside. Play catch. Find something that brings joy and a smile to your face.
Thank you for supporting Gleaners and following my 30 days of catch!