Grandparent of the year

This week it's been hard to look at the positive. With Vinnie dying, I began to question a lot of things. I tried to stay positive, but when tears overcome you, it's hard to listen to the age old saying, "everything happens for a reason."

Today, I got to sit in on a focus group at work that consisted of formerly homeless individuals who have been housed in the past few years. There were two particularly talkative women in the group that wanted everyone to hear everything they had to say--and rightfully so, their stories were filled with sorrow, survival, and triumph. As the meeting went on, they continued to talk, and others started slowly sharing their stories.

About a half an hour went by, and a man in the corner hadn't said anything yet, except for his name in the beginning. Suddenly, he said "My story's a little different." And we all turned to him.

A veteran, this man did a tour in Afghanistan a few years back. Upon his return, he was diagnosed with PTSD. But additionally, he has endured seven heart attacks.And that's not all--he also has Diabetes and high blood pressure.

He was praising the program that housed him, which I need to keep confidential."Those guys saved my life," he said. Since he started the program two years ago, his case managers continuously have provided medicine for him for both his mental and physical disabilities, helped him out with his rent and utilities, and checked on him regularly.

There's a common misconception that people who live on the streets are lazy, and choose to live on the streets. However, from what I've learned here, it's just the opposite. Either these people work long hours for minimum wage, or they're incapable of working. In America, there are more employed homeless people than there are unemployed.

For this man, working is not an option. Because of his multiple disabilities, he called himself "100% unemployable." Although he landed a job as a chef a few years after he returned from his tour, his workplace had to reluctantly let him go: "You're a great chef, but you're sick," his boss said to him.

After going over the options, he decided he needed help. "You have to humble yourself in order to get help," he said. After going back and forth with Unity for a few months, they hooked him up with the program he is in now.

Now, two years later, he said his case manager is just another part of his family. "My grandkids are crazy about him," he said. The specific program he's in is a substance abuse program. When asked what the program does if they find out he's doing drugs, he responded, "If you're in the program for the right reasons, you're not going to have drugs and paraphernalia. Instead, you're gonna have your grandchildren running around."

The program advises you to set a new goal every six months, and works with you towards achieving that goal. In the spring, his goal was to be named "Grandparent of the Year" at all three schools that his nine grandchildren attend. After attending countless school events, and even going to see an "Elmo" performance nearby, he achieved his goal.

Maybe everything does happen for a reason--things reach rock bottom before you can reach ecstasy. For this man, rock bottom came and passed, and he reached his ecstasy when he achieved his two sought-after goals: "Clean and Sober," and "Grandparent of the Year." As for Vinnie, rock bottom surely came, and he reached his ecstasy in Heaven.