Texas Beauty

11 Mar, 2012

Not far along the road from Houston to Austin, the Texas countryside unwinds in gentle undulations that welcome you to the American West. The pace of life slows, and the division between the land and its inhabitants blurs. It is a country of soft sunsets and slow water stirred by comforting breezes. The history is Native, Czech, Mexican, and all Texas. In the tales of abundance that percolate from the Lone Star north, the most precious resource of central Texas is often lost: beauty.

Amidst that beauty is a city near and dear to me. Austin is often described as a cultural island in the middle of Texas. The word hippie might come up or be implied. It’s a town of good food, food film, and great music. Beauty is a cherished commodity of this capitol city.

Upon my arrival in Austin, I met up with some old friends who are involved in something truly beautiful. One of the odd jobs that funded my post-undergrad years was that of outdoor guide for a company called Austin Outbound. It was an idyllic position that routinely brought me out into the Hill Country while also offering a chance to play music and engage in various outdoor activities. To add to the sweetness, my employers were the affable, bright, capable, and fun couple Greg and Lacey Strake.

Lacey (right) and Leslie Beasley in the Open Arms shop.

As soon as I arrived in town, I met Greg for lunch. Among other great things, he told me about an admirable organization that Lacey has started: http://www.theopenarmsshop.com/. The Open Arms Shop employs women who have entered the US on refugee status and pays them a living wage to make scarves and skirts out of repurposed T-shirts. I was so excited by this concept that I went down and visited the shop. It is a remarkable workplace. Everyone from Lacey to the newest refugee woman make the same wage. There are women from everywhere from the Sudan to Bhutan who have survived unspeakable horrors as refugees. In addition, all of their garments are made from T-shirts that are either used or leftover from special events and the like. (For more, see: http://www.theopenarmsshop.com/category_s/57.htm)

The Open Arms Shop has several beautiful aspects. It brings dignity, hope, and equality to those who have been without them. It connects people who would not normally be connected. From an environmental perspective, their repurposing of garments is an excellent application of their valued sustainability.

This beauty is both an extension of faith and a transcendence of the community that fostered it. The women who started the company are strongly motivated towards justice by their faith. However, the means by which that impetus expresses itself are not some clinging to self-preservation. This organization brings together women from a number of different faith traditions and cultures without dismantling those traditions. Dignity is not extended as a prize for joining the club. There is no conversion element. Rather, the love at work in each woman enriches the whole in a way that transcends each tradition. While not explicitly a response to climate change, the work of these women is the sort of action that can inform congregations that will need to empower neighbors that have lost their jobs, homes, and safety nets due to the changes we will see. Like we have seen in hurricanes, tsunamis, and tornadoes, climate refugees are just as real as political refugees. The beauty of work like the Open Arms is that the consequences exceed the initial intentions.

Beauty of this sort is not easy. Often, beauty requires us to extend beyond positions of comfort. There is a stretch. In that stretching, we strive to the already-not-yet that defines what some would call the kingdom. Whatever you call it, it looks good from here!

Until we meet again

More restoratively stretched in pursuit of beauty

Than we thought possible

I often have shots of roadkill on this site, so I thought I'd include a near miss. This turtle buddy was not psyched to be held, but I think it spared his life.

Breakfast tacos-- just in time!!!