Abbandonati
Abbandonati, by Luigi Nono (1853-1918) Homeless man in New York City – 2008. Photo source: JMSuarez. According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, approx 3.5 million people are likely to experience homelessness in a given year.
When They Die, Who Mourns Them?
Today I want to highlight a group of heroes out there doing amazing, practical work. I hope their hands-on response to the global crisis that is HIV/AIDS will inspire us to deeper compassion and give us just one example of how we can care for the people in greatest need among us. Joseph’s House is … Continue reading
A Zagat for Bleeding Hearts
Next time your waiter brings you that side of fries, how do you know she hasn’t coughed a nasty stomach virus onto it? Who can a busboy talk to about having his wages stolen from him? When a line cook leaves work, does he have a place to call home? Earlier this month, Restaurant Opportunities … Continue reading
Happier Holidays Part 2: Happy Thanksgiving!
(This is the second post in a series on enriching your holiday festivities with acts of generosity.) Before leaving for a Thanksgiving break of sorts, I wanted to wish you all a lovely holiday! May joy and gratitude fill your homes in the next few days and bless your families with a deeper sense of … Continue reading
We Need Cleaner Air and Cleaner Hearts
Last week NPR featured a series on poisoned places exposing the ways polluted air continues to harm residents all over the US. When I heard this report on All Things Considered, I recognized the place immediately: thick fog, benzene in the air, burning eyes and throats, obscure cancers. Perhaps this was LaBelle, PA – the … Continue reading
Good News Friday
Those are real Texas Rangers in the picture. They look down on us from Heaven (obviously, since they’re Texans), wishing they could come back down here to take out the Cardinals themselves with those rifles of theirs. Check that tiny tie. So hipster. Last night’s game 6 was painful here in Castle Miller land. But … Continue reading
Heat Wave and the Homeless
Recently we’ve been feeling a little concerned about one of Michael’s friends, who we’ll call Adam. For the last few months Michael has been spending time each morning with Adam, and sometimes eats breakfast with him. They talk about the city, what they did over the weekend – normal stuff. Adam happens to be homeless, … Continue reading
Good News Friday
It’s good news Friday, everyone! Here are some awesome things happening in the world of sojourning peoples. Homeless Group Rebuilds Joplin It always amazes me when people who do not have homes help people rebuild the ones they’ve lost. It’s not exactly uncommon – I remember reading about homeless groups volunteering in New Orleans after … Continue reading
Memorializing the Marginalized
Ernst Barlach’s “Schlafende Vagabunden” (Sleeping Drifters) 1912 Yesterday I heard about two homeless men who were killed in Baltimore this past week. A man had tried to rob them, they didn’t have anything, and so then he killed them. It reminded me of a memorial service that is held in Atlanta every year for the … Continue reading
Let the Little Sparrows Die
It is freezing in DC right now, and I spent the afternoon yesterday watching rain turn to snow from the cafe where I was working. Rain, then sleet actually, then slush, then snow. I was finishing the outline for one last final go at the screenplay I’m adapting from Hungarian playwright Andras Visky’s Juliet. It … Continue reading
