hope
break
October 27, 2012
written April 23, 2012
Hearts break and you witness the sound of mourning
And morning with the dawn arrives when the sun shines hot
So your weak eyes hesitate to open so they don’t see
But they have seen and won’t close again in your mind’s eye
It’s in the same way you cry for the loss of innocence
Almost to forget but also to recover a sense of feeling
You broke wide open at the site of a haven
A shelter in their eyes, their hands, their arms.
A place where rest isn’t questioned but welcomed and custom.
You learn in broken places that rest is a gift,
You learn in darkness how bright it is when light breaks.
dream
October 25, 2012
written Oct 25/2012
A dream is a wish your heart makes
And, oh, does it ache,
And, oh, does it keep you awake,
A dream is a hope your mind creates
Something to which one’s very soul gravitates
But the world complicates
And the foolish wander from, forgetting what’s at stake
No, a dream is not only a dream
It is rooted in stories of need
It’s a vision for overcoming the norm of greed
It’s responding to the call to gather and feed
I dream pie-in-the-sky and I’m unrealistic
I am preoccupied with the caring of souls, not statistics
You might argue that it is naïve and I’m being simplistic
A dream is a wish your heart makes
And, oh, does it ache,
And, oh, does it keep you awake,
A dream is a hope your mind creates
Something to which one’s very soul gravitates
But the world complicates
And the foolish wander from, forgetting what’s at stake
No, a dream is not only a dream
It is rooted in stories of need
It’s a vision for overcoming the norm of greed
It’s responding to the call to gather and feed
I dream pie-in-the-sky and I’m unrealistic
I am preoccupied with the caring of souls, not statistics
You might argue that it is naïve and I’m being simplistic
But I simply wish to dream.
'Next Door Ministries'
October 11, 2012
I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THANKFUL TO HAVE GROWN UP IN A PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY SAFE HOME. MY NEEDS WERE MET, MY HEART WAS CHERISHED, MY INPUT VALUED AND IT IS WHERE I LEARNED WHAT LOVE IS.
I HOPE TO ESTABLISH A HOME FOR YOUTH WHO ARE AGING-OUT OF THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM WHO HAVEN'T YET FELT ESTABLISHED, STILL NEEDING TOOLS TO VENTURE OUT AND REALIZE THEIR DREAMS. THE HOME WOULD BE TRANSITIONAL HOUSING FOR YOUTH 17-21.
IDEALLY, THIS BUILDING WOULD HAVE SEPARATE APARTMENTS WHERE SMALLER COMMUNITIES OF 2-3 YOUTH AND A NEXT DOOR COMMUNITY MEMBER* WOULD LIVE. COMMUNITY MEMBERS WOULD ACT AS AN OLDER SIBLING AND BE MENTORS/LEADERS TO THE YOUTH IN THEIR CARE. COMMUNITY MEMBERS WOULD NOT BE STAFF BUT WOULD HAVE A REDUCED RENT AND COMMIT TO SPENDING A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME WITH YOUTH IN THEIR APARTMENT EACH WEEK. STAFF WOULD PROVIDE COUNSELLING, SPECIALIZED CARE/TREATMENT (EX. ART THERAPY) , EDUCATION, SUPERVISION, FOOD ORDERING/PREPARING AND ESTABLISH/MAINTAIN RELATIONSHIPS WITH DONORS AND PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS.
THERE WOULD BE A COMMON SPACE WHERE EVERYONE COULD EAT TOGETHER. YOUTH AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WOULD SHARE HOUSEHOLD RESPONSIBILITIES TO FOSTER OWNERSHIP FOR THE SPACE AND COMMUNITY IN WHICH THEY LIVE. THE HOME WOULD DO OUTINGS, SERVICE PROJECTS AND TAKE HOLIDAYS, JUST AS A FAMILY MIGHT.
AS PART OF THE TRANSITIONAL COMPONENT OF NEXT DOOR, YOUTH WOULD BE REQUIRED TO SET OUT PERSONAL, SOCIAL, AND EDUCATIONAL/PROFESSIONAL GOALS TO GUIDE THEIR TIME AT NEXT DOOR. YOUTH WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, THROUGH VOLUNTEER TUTORS AND QUALIFIED TEACHERS, TO OBTAIN AND/OR COMPLETE THEIR SECONDARY SCHOOL EDUCATION/GED. NEXT DOOR MINISTRIES WOULD HOPE TO PARTNER WITH NEIGHBOURING ORGANIZATIONS FOR ASSISTANCE WITH COUNSELLING, LINKING TO COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS, EMPLOYMENT, AND SKILL-BUILDING.
AFTER LESS THAN TWO YEARS AT NEXT DOOR, YOUTH WILL HAVE TRANSITIONED INTO THE NEXT STEP OF THEIR CHOSEN FUTURE. A SAFE FOUNDATION WILL HAVE BEGUN TO BE BUILT AND THEY WILL ESTABLISH THEMSELVES IN THE REALITY OF HAVING A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY TO WALK WITH THEM THROUGH THE YEARS.
SOME OF THESE YOUTH WILL HAVE KNOWN THE FRONT DOOR OF MANY NEW LIVING SPACES, MOVING OFTEN AND KNOWING INSTABILITY IN THEIR FIRST SHORT YEARS. THE NAME 'NEXT DOOR' IS CHOSEN OUT OF A DESIRE TO BE A NEIGHBOURLY AND ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITY FOR YOUTH TO JOIN AND CALL THEIR OWN. WE'RE "JUST NEXT DOOR", AS IN, WE'RE RIGHT HERE FOR YOU. SINCE THE MODEL INCLUDES TRANSITIONAL PROGRAMMING, NEXT DOOR CAN BE A REFERENCE POINT FOR YOUTH AS THEY ENDEAVOUR TO REACH NEW HEIGHTS.
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Isaiah 58:6-12
[Rather] is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every [enslaving] yoke?
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house—when you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh and blood?
Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am. If you take away from your midst yokes of oppression [wherever you find them], the finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and every form of false, harsh, unjust,and wicked speaking,
And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday.
And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of [buildings that have laid waste for] many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
written March 27/12
led out of the cold, out of the depth
the depth of lonely, the being bereft
the inside confusion, the steady facade
the beauty and grace covered in the odd
led out by a face, a narrow path to guide
the hope to run a good race, and not to hide
the truth of beautiful grace and the will to confide
‘for you shall go out in joy & be led forth in peace’
the truths gathered now will not one day cease
choose freedom and be delivered; know release
cry tears of forgiveness, cry tears of real joy
give wisdom and counsel, mind and heart to employ
store up the kind of treasures that moths would not destroy
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