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IT CAME AS A PASSING THOUGHT, BUT AS THE DAYS PASSED MORE FREQUENTLY, THE MORE THE THOUGHT OCCURED TO ME…..  I SAID TO MYSELF, YOU KNOW, WITH ALL THE THINGS YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH, YOU SHOULD WRITE A BOOK. WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO WRITE A BOOK? IS IT BECAUSE OUR LIVES SEEM TO BE ESCAPING US, AND WE WANT TO MAKE A HISTORICAL MARK IN THIS WORLD? OR MAYBE BECAUSE WE THINK ONE DAY  WE’LL BE FORGOTTEN, AND, IF SO, WHY WOULD IT MATTER? WHEN YOU'RE GONE YOU'RE GONE, AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING.

ISN'T IT STRANGE HOW WE ALWAYS WANT TO BE REMEMBERED AS DOING SOMETHING GOOD FOR OTHERS AT LEAST ONCE OR TWICE IN OUR LIVES, AS THOUGH MAKING A CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY WILL MAKE THE  WORLD A BETTER PLACE? I BELIEVE THAT ONE HAS TO BECOME THE CHANGE THEY WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD. THE POINT IS, MOST PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM AND WHEN  GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY,  WE TRY TO ASSIST OUR  BROTHERMAN IN HIS ENDEAVOR TO LIVE AND EXIST, AS LONG AS HIS EXISTENCE DOES NOT ENCROACH OR THREATEN  OUR OWN  RIGHT TO SURVIVE.  FOR POINTERS,  THE OTHER DAY I SAW A MAN PUSHING A CART OF GROCERIES DOWN  A BUSY STREET, WHEN SUDDENDLY, TO HIS SURPRISE, THE WHOLE CART CAME TUMBLING DOWN, ALONG WITH ALL OF HIS PRECIOUS GROCERIES. WHAT WAS MORE SUPRISING, WAS WHEN ANOTHER MAN CAME OUT OF NOWHERE AND HELPED HIM PICK UP ALL OF HIS ITEMS OUT OF THE STREET. WHAT MADE HIM DO IT?  WAS IT EMPATHY? WAS HE LOOKING FOR A HANDOUT IN THE INTERIM OF BEING A GOOD SAMARITAN?  IT'S TRUE THAT SOME DO HAVE ALTERIOR MOTIVES WHEN EXTENDING HELP TO OTHERS, LIKE CON ARTISTS AND SOME POLITICIANS, NOT EXACTLY IN THAT ORDER.  HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. BESIDES, THE FIRST GENTLEMAN DID NOT APPEAR TO BE FINANCIALY WELL OFF, ALTHOUGH HE VERY WELL MAY HAVE BEEN. IT IS MY GUESS THAT THE SECOND MAN FELT A MORAL OBLIGATION TO ACCOMODATE HIS NEIGHBOR AT HIS OWN EXPENSE, OR JUST BECAUSE HE WANTED TO. DO PEOPLE STILL DO THAT? SURE THEY DO. IT'S CALLED “COMPASSION”.

COMPASSION IS ONE OF GOD'S GREATEST GIFTS TO THE HUMAN FAMILY. HAPPY HOMES ARE BUILT ON THE FOUNDATION OF THE VERY ESSENCE OF COMPASSION. AND YET, THE LACK OF COMPASSION CAN DESTROY A FAMILY THAT MAY HAVE OTHERWISE BEEN INTACT.  IN FACT, IT ALREADY HAS MILLIONS OF TIMES OVER.  HERE'S MY STORY

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

MAMA, WHERE ARE WE GOING?!?!  I SAID WITH A CHILD'S VOICE ,TRYING NOT TO ACT AFRAID……THE NEXT THING I KNEW, WE WERE RUNNING THROUGH THE ALLEYS OF DETROIT'S EAST SIDE,  SOMEWHERE AROUND BEWICK AND MACK. ALL WE HAD WERE THE CLOTHES ON OUR BACKS, AND A FEW OTHER ESSENTIAL ITEMS.OH YEAH, AND AN IRON, WHICH NOW SEEMS IRONIC TO ME THAT MY MOTHER WOULD PACK AN IRON. LIKE WE WERE REALLY GOING TO BE IRONING SOME CLOTHES WHEN WE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW WHERE WE WERE GOING. MAYBE IT WAS FOR PROTECTION FROM OUR PREDATOR, BUT I DOUBT IT. “I DON’T KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO DO!!!” MY MOTHER SAID WITH TEARS IN HER EYES.  I HATED TO SEE HER CRY, SHE SEEMED SO HELPLESS. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL HER. “WHAT AM I GOING TO DOOO”!!??  SHE SAID AGAIN , ….I DIDN’T KNOW THE  ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION EITHER, BUT I KNEW WHAT WE WERE NOT GOING TO DO…..STICK AROUND ANOTHER MINUTE….” LET’S JUST LEAVE”! …I SAID TO MY WEEPING WIDOW, AND AWAY WE WENT DOWN THE ALLEYS OF DETROIT IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT. WE DID A LOT OF THAT BACK THEN. RUNNING FOR OUR LIVES. BUT WE ALWAYS ENDED UP BACK IN THE SAME PREDICAMENT. I GUESS WE WERE RUNNING AROUND IN CIRCLES. HER LIVE-IN BOYFRIEND WOULD ALWAYS SEEM TO FIND US SOMEHOW. HE WAS TERRIFYING, HE SEEMED SO BIG. JUST HIS MERE APPEARANCE WAS INTIMIDATING, AND IT WASN’T JUST ME,  EVERYBODY IN THE NEIGBORHOOD WAS AFRAID OF HIM, EVEN THE POLICE WHOM HE FOUGHT ON A REGULAR BASIS. WHEN HE WASN’T BRAWLING, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL WAS HIS PASSTIME AND A LIFE OF CRIME WAS HIS CAREER. I  CAN RECALL FEELING OVERJOYED WHEN HE WOULD GO TO JAIL, MOST OF THE TIME FOR PETTY THEFT OR ASSAULT. BUT HE ALWAYS GOT OUT, AND THAT FEELING OF DREAD WOULD ENGULF ME ALL OVER AGAIN.  LIKE THE TIME WE WERE ALL PLAYING IN THE YARD, MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS AND SOME FRIENDS DOWN THE STREET. WE WERE HAVING A BALL WHEN I  LOOKED DOWN THE STREET AMD SAW HIM WALKING TOWARDS THE HOUSE WITH A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE AND A CIGAR IN HIS MOUTH. HE MAY HAVE BEEN CELEBRATING HIS RELEASE,  BUT TO ME, IT WAS LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD. I KNEW THE ABUSE WOULD NOT STOP.  I KEPT HOPING AND PRAYING THAT HE WOULD LEAVE US ALONE, BUT HE WAS LIKE A STRAY DOG THAT YOU FIND ON THE STREETS. ONCE YOU FEED HIM, HE MAY ROAM THE STREETS, BUT HE ALWAYS COMES BACK HOME. EXCEPT THIS TYPE OF DOG HAD TWO LEGS AND WAS NO MAN'S “BEST FRIEND”. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE A HERO BACK THEN, LIKE SUPERMAN,SPIDERMAN OR BATMAN.  I WOULD HAVE EVEN SETTLED FOR WONDERWOMAN, ANYONE TO COME TO OUR RESCUE WOULD HAVE SUFFICED. BACK THEN I DON’T REMEMBER HAVING A FATHER'S PROTECTION OR LOVE FOR THAT MATTER.  A REAL  FATHER?  WHAT WAS THAT?