Yohanna

I had a client named Yohanna come in today with another client named Maria. They are immigration clients. Lovely ladies who have been here legally for over 20+ years. Maria is in her 60's and Yohanna is probably my age. Yohanna brought Maria in to pick up her immigration mail. She finally has her appointment with USCIS for the last step in replacing her green card (many more steps than I went through to replace my PA birth certificate). But it was Yohanna who touched me today. While Maria waited with her wonderful, always smiling son who has down syndrome, Yohanna asked me if I could help her understand a word on her own USCIS appointment letter. She said her brother usually helps her but he is out of state at the moment and she just wants to make sure she does everything right. I explained the word and its context in the sentence to her and she was relieved to have a better understanding. Then she said to me, "Ms Tracy. When I get all my documentation renewed I want to start the process for citizenship. It means so much to me." I was touched because I don't often think of my citizenship in the same way someone like Yohanna does. It is a dream of hers. I just have it by default (thanks mom!). She qualifies for citizenship and I said of course I'd help her with the extensive paperwork. But then with tears in her eyes she said, "Ms. Tracy. After my new green card comes and I can work again...can I come give you money for you to help other people too? I mean... I don't have it now but when I do I want to give back." Sigh.....You know that story in the Bible about the widow who gave everything she had and it had more meaning than the gifts of the rich? Yea. That's Yohanna.

Luke 21:1-4
As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”