Last week prior to lunch at the Common Art program, I wondered what they would be serving for lunch that day. If it was something I liked, I would join the others; if not, I would grab something later to eat. I realized, for the first time in the months that I have interned with Emmanuel Church, that to have the option to choose what I eat that day is a privilege that many of our members do not have. Furthermore, there are a number of choices most take for granted that our members may not have access to. It struck me that the lack of choice could is insidiously destructive as personal choices define who we are or aspire to be.  

I believe the Emmanuel Church outreach programs provide a variety of benefits to members, not the least of which is the opportunity of choice. Although the menus may be fixed for those programs that include food, other aspects allow the members to control their circumstances in small but significant ways. All three programs (Common Art, Café Emmanuel, and Art & Spirituality) provide a social environment free to interact as much or as little as one chooses. Perhaps most importantly these programs provide the members with the freedom of self-expression. The Common Art and Art & Spirituality participants decide for themselves each week what they will create and choose from a very wide array of materials provided for them. Recently we’ve also incorporated a group art project into the Café Emmanuel luncheon in which members are invited to choose among a variety of colors and patterns each week that best reflect their sense of essential being at that time.

As a future art therapist, I understand the choices someone makes can be indicative of her/his state of mind. However, choice provides an even greater value toward the feeling of freedom, a basic human need. I hope to be more thoughtful about my personal choices and whenever possible include the element of choice to others in need.

–Brianna Babick