Several years ago I was volunteering for a nonprofit prevention and intervention program for at-risk youth. This program did not have much financial backing, but what it did have were many volunteers with much to give coming straight from the heart. One in particular was a man that I instantly connected with, it was just right from the start and I honestly felt that we were meant to be friends. What we didn't know about one another from our personal and life experiences, in time we would get to know each other (like no other person outside of my wife and closest family members) in a way that would lift our heads up while putting strength in our hearts. You see this man was exposed to a way of life that limited his ability to live free and exercise his liberty. This way of life kept him away for more than half his life in environments that took much just to survive. Shortly after we met he had to return to this place and we lost contact. I tried on many occasions to locate his whereabouts, but time after time I wasn't able to. Until one day when I was at work (at that place discussed in "At The Crossroads") at a time when I was tested beyond desire, he called. It was by far the highlight of my day and from that point on we have never lost contact. We began to write and talk by phone on a regular basis and what transpired for both of us was a relationship and support system that allowed each of us to move forward. One of us was imprisoned in the literal sense, the other in his mind and we helped each other get back on that path of well being, one that we knew would help us reach that life that we always wanted, but were sometimes challenged to grasp.
It gives me great joy to share with you that both of us are moving forward in the right direction. My friend is now back in our community and is doing wonderful things to help others change for the better. There are still some challenging days for us both, but something that has not changed is being available and present. I talk with my friend often, and visit him at his home almost weekly (a place that most would never think about going) and never I have felt more comfortable and connected. So, in closing let me just say that there are many wonderful life opportunities out there. They are present, perhaps not always seen or felt but they are out there. You just have to ask yourself, are you available and present to see them?
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