Today is Sunday, October 4th. It is a bright, sunny, beautiful day. After Church this morning I went to the boardwalk to exercise, which is to take a nice walk for about 3 miles. When I reached the end I decided to walk along the waters edge on the return trip. The ocean was gentle and had a salty smell. As I walked I could feel the cold water surrounding my feet and then recede. My feet were pleasantly surprised each time the water returned in a refreshing movement. The beautiful weather brought out many people.As I walked the fog began to close in because of the temperature differences. As the fog gathered density I began to feel very alone as I walked. 
Today is the day to recognized St Francis of Assisi. He was a man who saw the creation of God as an amazing blessing for which he could only give himself back to God in response. Here is his famous prayer.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, 
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
On the 25th of September at the back door of Queensboro Correctional Facility, my friend Keith was released after serving 14 years behind bars. As he got into the car he cried. Getting him settled has been a daunting task. First he needed a cell phone. He looked at mine and had no clue what to do with it. There were no buttons only a screen. I laughed at how much our world had changed. He had never seen Walmart, Costco, BJ’s or Target and it was a shock to see and deal with all the technology. He saved his pay for 3 years and came out with $1400 to start his life anew.
We decided that my home was not a good place for him to stay since I already had Valentyn and Harlow. I began 3 months prior to his release looking for apartments. As the day neared I had a couple of good leads. During the first day, all of those leads fell through. So we went back to an Irish lady who I had come across who at first was very interested in housing Keith but later said no. When she saw him she welcomed him with open arms. She had a bed in her basement where he could park until he found better living space. This week after looking at several rooms, he found one that was close to his family and did not cost much. We moved him in yesterday. God gave us furniture. Valentyn’s mom moved and left a bedroom set and lots of other stuff for Valentyn. So I took her furniture from her room and gave it to Keith. While we were moving that, he spotted a brand new couch on the sidewalk with a sign on it saying “Free”. He has prospects for employment and will need to work soon to cover his rent. It is very hard to be released from prison.
Thursday while I was taking a walk as Keith was at the DMV to get an ID card, I went by the Grill House. As I got there one of the workers pulled me aside and told me that one of our good friends, Gary, had died. Gary was nearing 40. He had been laid off from a good job and for nearly 2 years had been unable to find work. He was discovered by his wife after he failed to pick up their nine year old for school. She frantically called one of his friends to ask him how she was going to tell her daughter. Steve the owner of the Grill House was really shaken up by this as they are the same age.
To his honor, Gary was a quiet and reserved man who appeared on the boardwalk each morning with a cup of coffee and several cans of cat food. Over the two years he began to take care of the Boardwalk Cats and kittens. They would wait at the same spot every day for
Gary. Often Gary would bring his daughter with him to the boardwalk. Unlike other social gatherings like the office or on the train or other places where you are up against or with people, on the boardwalk there is a deep sense of community where people afford themselves lots of time to talk and integrate. Gary was deeply integrated into the lives of many people on the boardwalk. His daily presence will be deeply missed. Each year around this time people disappear for the winter months. In the late spring when people begin to convene again, there is always a sobering feeling that some never made it through the winter.
God reminds us early and often to enjoy those around us. Tomorrow things may change.
Be Blessed, Barre.
We decided that my home was not a good place for him to stay since I already had Valentyn and Harlow. I began 3 months prior to his release looking for apartments. As the day neared I had a couple of good leads. During the first day, all of those leads fell through. So we went back to an Irish lady who I had come across who at first was very interested in housing Keith but later said no. When she saw him she welcomed him with open arms. She had a bed in her basement where he could park until he found better living space. This week after looking at several rooms, he found one that was close to his family and did not cost much. We moved him in yesterday. God gave us furniture. Valentyn’s mom moved and left a bedroom set and lots of other stuff for Valentyn. So I took her furniture from her room and gave it to Keith. While we were moving that, he spotted a brand new couch on the sidewalk with a sign on it saying “Free”. He has prospects for employment and will need to work soon to cover his rent. It is very hard to be released from prison.Thursday while I was taking a walk as Keith was at the DMV to get an ID card, I went by the Grill House. As I got there one of the workers pulled me aside and told me that one of our good friends, Gary, had died. Gary was nearing 40. He had been laid off from a good job and for nearly 2 years had been unable to find work. He was discovered by his wife after he failed to pick up their nine year old for school. She frantically called one of his friends to ask him how she was going to tell her daughter. Steve the owner of the Grill House was really shaken up by this as they are the same age.
To his honor, Gary was a quiet and reserved man who appeared on the boardwalk each morning with a cup of coffee and several cans of cat food. Over the two years he began to take care of the Boardwalk Cats and kittens. They would wait at the same spot every day for
Gary. Often Gary would bring his daughter with him to the boardwalk. Unlike other social gatherings like the office or on the train or other places where you are up against or with people, on the boardwalk there is a deep sense of community where people afford themselves lots of time to talk and integrate. Gary was deeply integrated into the lives of many people on the boardwalk. His daily presence will be deeply missed. Each year around this time people disappear for the winter months. In the late spring when people begin to convene again, there is always a sobering feeling that some never made it through the winter.God reminds us early and often to enjoy those around us. Tomorrow things may change.
Be Blessed, Barre.
