This is a different kind of “Independence Day” story.
It’s the story of one of the 92,091 homeless in this country’s return to self-sufficiency and the woman who helped him get there. It’s a story of how compassion, the perfection of kindness, the dignity of grace and a little benevolence and courtesy can make a powerful difference no matter who you who are. It is the unlikely story of two strangers who each gave what they had to the other and how it transformed their lives.
It’s not a story you’ll hear on the news. It’s not even my story. It’s my dear friend Shirlee Burch Stevens and “Frank’s” story. I told the first chapter of this story in my Feb. 20, 2021 column.
To recap chapter one: In February a cold front hit Lascassas, Tennessee blanketing everything in snow and ice and dropping temperatures into the teens with a wind chill factor that sunk the temperatures below zero. All planes were grounded including the one Shirlee was supposed to get on to go see her brother, Archie, in Hawaii.
Shirlee, who owns an operate Cedar Springs Ranch, an Airbnb and horse ranch, decided to get a couple of large horse blankets clean to keep her equine dry and warm through the storm. It was a difficult and treacherous drive to the laundromat and when she arrived, she found the facility occupied by several “strung out” homeless men. The “company” made her nervous and wary but when one of the washing machines locked in a not quite closed position, it was one of the homeless men, “Frank,” who, with a screw driver borrowed from Shirlee, got the machine open and the horse blanket out.
Frank was not “strung out” so Shirlee asked him to keep an eye on her laundry and went to the only place open, a nearby Walmart, to get herself and Frank some food.
Long story short, Frank was 40-years old; 100 percent disabled from a stroke; and a recovered drug addict. These two strangers talked a long time that night in the laundromat sharing a meal and the warmth from the dryers. Frank was genuinely grateful for the food and company and Shirlee was grateful for the company and assistance. “I am pretty sure he was my guardian angel sent to protect me and assist me with what I could not do on my own and delivering a ‘living’ sermon, not just words,” she said.
When Shirlee left the laundromat, Frank, who had experience with horses, gave Shirlee his track phone number and asked if she ever had any kind of work would she call him.
When the storm passed, Shirlee took her delayed trip to Hawaii and when she returned, she went in search of Frank and found him in a sober halfway house.
Here is the rest of their story:
Frank started helping me clean at Cedar Springs Ranch. He seemed to like it and was incredibly good at it. I drove him back and forth from the halfway house every day. One day I looked over and he had a big smile on his face beside me. He remarked, “I haven’t felt happy in a very long time.” Eventually, through twists of fate, he came to live at Cedar Springs arriving one day with all his belongings in one large black plastic bag.
Since then, I have walked beside him and represented as his advocate as he has slowly begun reentry in the world peopled by those of us who are not homeless, sledgehammering on and eventually through roadblock, after roadblock “the government systems” have in place, which most homeless people would and do find utterly impassable. It is incredibly complicated and difficult. In fact, I learned, it is genuinely guaranteed to keep our homeless population homeless, especially the disabled.
Frank has gotten his driver’s license for the first time in 13 years. With the help of a neighbor who owns a truck dealership, Frank bought a used truck with his COVID stimulus money along with a tiny loan.
Frank who had a stroke at 36 that put him in a wheelchair worked hard to recover and was finally able to get out of the wheelchair and walk with braces. Since coming to the ranch, he is able to walk fairly well in high laced-up boots without braces. He moves amazingly well and walks miles around the ranch. When he first came, he would stumble and fall at least five times a week, and was always getting so banged and bruised up I was terrified! Now he seldom takes a misstep.
Frank is an amazing cleaner. He loves leaving things spotless. He has a wonderful, grateful spirit and a keen sense of humor. Several times a day, I find myself laughing out loud at his droll remarks.
Recently we went to Meharry Dental School for Frank’s first dental appointment in at least three years. He got X-rayed and evaluated to replace, one by one all the molars Medicare dentists for homeless people in California extracted when he didn’t have the money to pay for needed fillings. No tooth equals no pain, I had no idea.
At the ranch, Frank lives in a tiny house we remodeled for him with “Ace,” a stray dog, turned companion. He’s feeds, brushes and fly spray’s the horses and helps clean Airbnb units, spotlessly. He is so warm and welcoming with our guests that they LOVE, LOVE, LOVE him. He gets wonderful thank you notes, tips and even gifts from the guests and is an inspiration to all. He just successfully took care of the ranch for a whole week by himself with careful preparation and very detailed daily direction from me.
In the three months he’s been at Cedar Spring Ranch, Frank has gained 20 pounds of muscle; has stopped hearing voices (except for my voice of course); and, has stopped wearing sound blocking headsets.
It is a new dawn for Frank, and such joy and magic to watch it all unfold. People have said to me, “Wow! You are Saint Shirlee.” But really, Frank is my “saint.” He tells me, “I’m here to make sure you live longer, Shirlee.”
I am truly blessed to have a role in this miracle and grateful to the many friends who have assisted with the makeover of a wonderful human life. I am so deeply grateful.
"story" - Google News
July 03, 2021 at 05:30PM
https://ift.tt/3dFk3QO
A different kind of story | Off the Record - Chico Enterprise-Record
"story" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YrOfIK
https://ift.tt/2xwebYA
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "A different kind of story | Off the Record - Chico Enterprise-Record"
Post a Comment