Setting Prisoners Free

Mysteriously he came; he entered our building with his Bill Cosby sweater on, unusually nervous and jittery! Laughing! He was seeking shelter.... Bob was a victim of our unstable economy. He had once lived a favored life, but his unemployment benefits had run out. He couldn't afford his place and then quickly became homeless. He lived under a bridge in his rich suburb, until "they" kicked him out of his zone of nowhere! He took his unusually terrified anxious self into the big bad city, along with his run-down middle aged body into our homeless shelter! He was desperate and had to submit to a new level of life he did not want to live! Bob was riddled with multiple health issues and the mile walk to Epworth shelter contributed to those woes. Almost daily, he would approach me, begging to move from there to our less stressful bed-spaces. These "upstairs" beds were set aside to enable our older and disabled men to get the rest they desperately needed. There is ...

Upon reflecting on 2012, I cannot help but ponder on 2 overarching themes that swamped our year at Cornerstone Community Outreach.... In my humble opinion, 2012 was a year of many great contrasts...... It was a year filled with much heartbreak and joyful celebration. There were moments of depressing reality and wonderful optimism. While people challenged us with decisive opposition, other people supported us with undeniable loyalty. There were moments of fearful anxiety, yet unmistakeable success remained constant throughout. It was a year filled with a scattering of "haters", yet no one can deny the LOVE that flowed out of the street I like to now call Hope Alley Yet despite the air of negativity; our mission, our purpose and our Love for the "least of these" hasn't died, HOPE lives and we'll keep pushing on stronger than ever! To quote the all important phrase from the marvelous short film: The Butterfly Circus : “The greater the struggle, the more...