Help for the widowed and disabled

Today I got a phone call from Fox 17 asking to meet at Select Inn to visit with Kathy, who was told she has to be out of the hotel by Tuesday morning at 11 after they extended her stay from the original ouster date of Friday. Keep in mind, it is not about rent being paid as it is always paid. It is instead about cleanliness.

After interviewing Kathy, who talked about her urgent need of getting into the government assisted Westbrook Towers or else she will be on the street Tuesday, Matt Alvarez (Fox 17) spoke to the manager. After that talk, things changed.

You may recall, Kathy is the woman with Cerebral Palsy who lost her husband about 6 months ago. The two once lived in the hotel together.

In closing, Kathy will be allowed to stay at the Select Inn, enjoy their free breakfast for nightly guest as long as someone can volunteer to help with the following, perhaps a church small group project for the next 6 to 9 months?

1. Help with bathing (wheelchair bound)
2. Help cleaning her room
3. Paying for / delivering a small amount of groceries

Photo: Kathy listens intensely as the manager of the hotel on South Church Street talks to Fox 17.

Can you stomach the past?

I always find it so intriguing how others have all the answers on what to do, right from wrong, how you should feel vs. how you really feel, etc. I wonder how so many people know so much about others?

He was standing quietly against a wall of windows, barely audible as he asked those who smirked past him, “Do you have any change?” I failed to see even one person stop to simply ask why he needed the money.

If anyone did ask, they would learn the elderly gentleman has a place to stay, but his entire social security check went to the monthly cost. He had no money to eat. It was that simple... money to eat.

If you asked a passerby one might state, “That's what his food stamp or EBT card is for.” Then, the senior citizen might reply, “But, $15 is not enough to eat more than four meals on - if I shop for the most valuable deals.” Of course, that is only if he has a card.

It is to easy to assume you have the answers to the problems, the life obstacles, the aliments or the cures for another until you live their life both the past and the present. But, make sure you are able to stomach their past.

“Respect other people’s feelings. It might mean nothing to you, but it could mean everything to them.”

— Roy T. Bennett

The Mounains

Alaska... “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity” ― John Muir, Our National Parks

The Amazing Mountains

The mountains in Alaska jut from the earth sharply and are kissed by the crisp cold air as the warmer air below makes its way up. Snow from the top then mixes with the warmer air on its trickle down and creates even more fog, preventing you from seeing the peeks.

Naturalist and father of our National Parks once stated, John Muir stated, “The mountains are calling and I must go.” No truer words were spoken as he was considered a “Wilderness Prophet,” which was his nickname. Muir was one of the true explorers of Alaska in search of beauty, which he became engulfed in.

He was put there to make you smile

I never know what I will see as I step from town to town. But, I never imagined that those who are homeless in Seattle, Washington would have such positive attitudes and great senses of humor. It was as if they were put in place to make those who passed smile.

“A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing.”

— Laura Ingalls Wilder

Amazing Alaska

Some mornings you wake up barely breathing. The next morning you wake up to see what takes your breath away.

"The most beautiful gift of nature is that it gives one pleasure to look around and try to comprehend what we see." - Albert Einstein

Photo: I took this in Alaska - Twin mountain tops high above the frigid ocean #alaska, #sonyalpha

David wanted noodles in downtown Victoria, Canada

David lives in Victoria, Canada and as he was walking out of a Japanese Sushi restaurant he looked at me and described how they wouldn't give him any leftover food for the night. I looked at the sign on the door which read, "CLOSED."

He said, “I really wanted a bowl of noodles, that's all.” I told him that I would buy him a bowl of noodles if he knew where another Japanese or Chinese restaurant was located. I then followed him for the next three blocks simply observing those we passed at about 9:45 on a Friday night. Some would move to the far opposite side while others refused to make eye contact. David never noticed, but I couldn't help but to notice.

We finally arrived and as we walked in the woman behind the counter handed David a menu. He quickly scanned over it unable to make a decision. I told the employee that he would simply like a large bowl of noodels and David jumped in and said, “With seafood on it, like shrimp.”

I paid and told David it would take about 10 minutes for his order to be prepared. He followed me outside and I snapped a couple of photos of him.

As I turned to walk away David said, “Wait, let me go inside to make sure you paid.” I laughed and said, “Good idea, let's double check.” We headed back in and he asked the hostess, “Did he already pay for my noodles?” She smiled and told him, “Yes, he sure did.” David then shook my hand and thanked me.

Ketchikan, Alaska and the Bridge to Nowhere

Inside the small island community of Ketchikan, Alaska you will feel at home.

The population rings in at 8,208. During fishing season, that number grows to about 12,000 seasonal residents. The island is locked in by water.

One local resident told me, “Remember hearing about that bridge to nowhere project? This is the town that wanted that bridge built because it was not a bridge to nowhere.” As the man talked more about the proposed bridge he pointed across the waterway and said, “See, that is our airport (pointing towards an airport about 200 feet across a narrow waterway), we needed that bridge because you currently have to take a ferry to get to our small airport which helps our local economy.”

So now you know, the bridge to nowhere was actually a bridge to the Ketchikan airport and to homes on the neighboring island.

This is His Life

Watch the video interview below: 

I met Superman

Tattooed to the center of his chest was an "S," just like the original Superman logo.

I captured this photo in Nashville, 2014. 

“You will be different, sometimes you’ll feel like an outcast, but you’ll never be alone.”

— Superman

Kay at 72

Kay currently calls a wooden park bench home during clear days and sometimes a covered bus stop is her home on days that are not so clear. However, she does not let the weather bring her down.

In this interview, Kay talked about her past child sexual abuse and how so many others on the streets suffer from the same haunted background. Ms. Kay spoke to me (Scott Walker) about the devastating impact child sex abuse has on someone as they age.

At age 72, Kay says she is ready to go home when her body is ready to lead her that direction. In other words, she is not afraid of death as she clearly says, "I know where I'm going."

To pass time and to fill her own mission, she ministers to those who are also homeless and living with addiction.

Hate dressed as Love

Sometimes, hate tries to be disguised as love while holding a megaphone and wearing a "Jesus Saves" shirt.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.