Finding Our Joy

A hug after a hard conversation. A clean shave. A step toward independence. Simple reminders that even in the toughest year, compassion still creates change.

Dad, come quick!”

Daniel Savage prepared for the worst when he heard his son’s cry one morning, just as they were getting ready for work and school. Fire? A break-in?

Daniel found his son outside admiring a vibrant sunrise. He smiled — in spite of his racing pulse.

“I tell my son all the time you have to look for joy,” he says. “Sometimes it hits us over the head, and sometimes it’s a sunrise.”

That philosophy anchors Daniel in his job as an advocate at Matthew’s Hope Ministries, which serves the homeless population in Orange and Brevard counties. His co-workers, Director of Health Services Linda Moats and Mobile Advocate Taylor Ball, adopt a similar approach, balancing the hard realities of life and faith in human resiliency.

Linda sees the impact of small gestures. She recalls a man she helped put on his jacket, holding it out so he could slip in his arms. He turned to her with tear-filled eyes: “No one’s ever done that for me before.” “Well, they should have,” she replied.

She tells of a veteran in the hospital whose scruffy face was bothering him. Taking the time to give him a shave and clean appearance restored his humanity, she says. “It’s amazing what happens when you show people dignity and respect,” Linda says.

Seeing a person’s value and empowering them to see their own worth is at the core of the Matthew’s Hope Moving Forward Program. The program is built around incremental steps to encourage self sufficiency and independence.

“We can only help those who help themselves,” Daniel says.

Daniel points to four men in the program right now who are overcoming drug addiction and heading into trade programs. It took time, effort and commitment to reach the milestone, but it started with a core belief they could achieve it.

Sometimes a chance is just a hand up. Daniel points to a woman who was abandoned by her husband and left to live in her car with six kids. A hotel voucher gave her breathing room, leading to a job interview and, today, a successful career as a property manager.

Now the same woman is using her position to offer jobs to others pursuing second chances.

“No one knows what they are capable of until they’re given a chance,” Daniel says.

And there are quick wins. Recently Matthew’s Hope arranged for a man to fly to New York to see his sister before she succumbed to cancer. When they told him the news he wept with joy. “Stuff like that overshadows the sadness,” Taylor says.

Still, it’s tough not to take work home. A heart for serving others led Linda to her nursing career, so she struggles on the days a guest refuses help or nothing more can be done.

“I’m always hopeful that there’s some way we can make a difference, even in the most difficult cases. I don’t give up easily,” Linda says.

Taylor splits her time driving into communities for outreach and at the front desk, often fielding desperate calls. Both roles expose her to heartache and challenging life stories that don’t always have a quick solution.

On her difficult days she leans hard into optimism and finds solace in a recently rediscovered passion for painting. Like her co-workers, she’s hardwired for caring. Reuniting her boyfriend with his brother was another recent win. “I get joy from other people’s joy,” she says.

Working with the homeless is a unique window into other people’s lives most jobs don’t provide. But Taylor emphasizes everyone can practice gratitude.

“Just look around at what you have,” she says.