Memorial Service for a Homeless Person - Culture and Society Article

By:Leslie Reynolds Benns

Out of the blue, Father Ron Thomas, my Episcopal priest, asked me if I would like to attend a memorial service for a homeless person.

“Can I tape it? I asked.

“What on earth for?” he countered.

“I’ll tell you later.”

Ron was to be picked up immediately after the morning prayer service that was just beginning. Since I wanted to get my tape recorder and had walked to church that morning, I literally ran home after the service.

“I’m writing a book about the homeless,” I hollered back to Ron, standing in the church doorway. “Pick me up at my apartment.”

When the red Chevy mini-van arrived, I was pulling a long black skirt over my wool tights and threw a light parka over my shoulders. I got out to the van and found the three new people inside all recognized me and I them.

I had met the driver, Ed Snoddy, at Volunteers of America, when I was there for a job interview, a few weeks earlier. While waiting to be seen by his boss, I chatted with Ed about the homeless population. He does Homeless Outreach for V.O.A, cruising Salt Lake County’s streets looking for homeless people who might need his help. Next to me, on the seat behind Ed, was Pamela Atkinson, a British woman who’s practically a living legend in Salt Lake City. She has worked tirelessly for the homeless for years and is vice-president of Intermountain Health Care's Mission Services. Today, however, she was dressed in jeans and a sweater. The man in the far back seat, whose name escapes me, was an alumnus of a workshop I had given on spirituality the previous summer. I recognized him, when we got out of the van. Father Ron sat in the front seat next to Ed.

On the thirty-minute drive to the funeral location, Pamela, excited to inform a newcomer on the plight of the homeless, first talked about the deceased, Chuck.

“He had a dog, called Lucy,” she began. “He loved the outdoors, so, he camped down by the Jordan River. Chuck got sick, and then he got sicker and sicker.” She recounted her difficulties in persuading him to be seen at a free clinic and then at the hospital, where they did surgery and discovered metastasized cancer.

“They treated Chuck with dignity,” claimed Pamela. “They actually kept him for three or four weeks longer than they should have done, ‘til we could find a place for him.” The hospital has a policy that forbids discharging a patient without a safe place to go.

“He could swear with the best of them,” related Pamela, “But somehow or other you never got offended. He was a good man.”

“Loved to tell stories,” Ed commented over his shoulder.

“He also loved his biscuits [cookies]. We had to take cookies out for him,” continued Pamela. “But his greatest love was for his dog, Lucy, who slept in the sleeping bag with him.”

Pamela digressed to speak about the needs of the homeless, some of whom stay out in the cold all winter. The outreach workers just make sure they have extra sleeping bags. “When it is very cold our numbers go up in the winter shelter,” she said. “But some of them will never, ever come inside. We just make sure they keep warm, that they don’t freeze.” The ones who are in danger of freezing, the alcoholics like Chuck, are the most vulnerable population. “And particularly if they hide,” said Pamela with dismay. Most, like Chuck, stay out camping as long as they can.

It was the cancer that got Chuck and the people at his memorial service were all near and dear to him and had cared for him at the end, as well as others who were homeless workers.
Excerpted from Street People: Case Histories of the Homeless,
www.gratitudepress.com

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: Sociology, Homelessness

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Leslie Reynolds-Benns, PhD, author, most recently of Confession is Good for More than the Soul. "Confession is like a damp cloth for the chalkboard of our psyche." Speaker, trainer, workshop leader, community activist and wedding officiant. www.lesliereynoldsbenns.com

Top Culture and Society Articles
1). The Controversy Over Roadside Field Sobriety Tests By : Lance Knowlton Copyright 2006 Lance Knowlton Roadside field sobriety tests (FSTs), developed at the behest of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), are commonly employed by police officers during DUI stops to determine whether a driver is under the influence of alcohol. FSTs generally consist of a battery of three to five exercises, such as walking and turning in a different direction, standing on one leg, nystagmus (using the eyes to track an object), touching the finger to the nose and reciting the alphabet.
2). Recognizing The Signs Of Alcohol Abuse By : Aurel Radulescu Alcohol abuse, or alcoholism, is a serious illness that often requires immediate treatment. Not everyone knows what to look for in terms of alcohol abuse, but the truth is that there are very definitive signs that can quickly confirm the need for treatment. Many alcoholics drink because they are angry or sad, but often end up feeling guilty either while they are drinking or after the effects wear off.
3). Know Your Personality Type By : CD Mohatta Our world is made of all kinds of persons. Some do things as they have been done since ages. They talk, react, judge and act exactly as they have seen and taught. These kinds of people hate original and new ideas calling them dangerous for the world. On the other side of the spectrum are people who live life dangerously. They want to break every convention, every rule and live life on their own terms.
4). Are You A Potential Crime Victim? By : Joseph Garrio I've been in law enforcement for 17 years and have a great deal of experience working in the street and dealing with the common problems and crimes of the average person. This article addresses the common crimes that are occuring to people when removed from their homes. This is to make you aware of them and how to reduce your chances of becoming a victim.
5). Year in review - Top 12 News stories of 2005 By : paul wilson1 As yet another New Year dawns, it is time for us to look back on 2005 and view from the outside all that happened. There were joys, triumphs, and tears. That everything that happens is a learning experience is quite true. Among the many occurrences of 2005 news stories that were significant were: 1. Google made history in June 2005 as its share price made it the most highly valued media company.
6). Guide to terrorism and world markets By : Mansi gupta What worse could have happened to the US economy then the 9th September 2001? Some perverted religious fanatics demolished the embodiment of the world trade. Terrorism is a threat to all the nations of the world. The human loss due to these activities cannot be condemned with words. The ruthlessness of the terror traders has an impact on each and every segment of life.
7). Everything You Do Is Right Day By : CD Mohatta 16th March is celebrated as the day when whatever you do is right. This is a very exciting thought. I searched for the origin but could not find any clue about how this day began. What precisely does this mean - Everything you do is right. Let me put my ideas across about this day. In our everyday life whenever we do anything, it can be called right or wrong.
8). Is This Funny: Can We Develop Non-Violent Humour? By : Ivana Milojević “In its original historical meaning, a cartoon (from the Italian cartone, meaning "big paper") is a full-size drawing made on paper as a study for a further artwork, such as a painting or tapestry. In modern print media, a cartoon is an illustration, usually humorous in intent.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoons The current representation of conflict.
9). Is There Income After Peak Oil And Economic Collapse? There Is If You're Clever. By : Mick Winter Many predict that the world will soon experience an economic depression, brought on by a variety of factors, but most particularly Peak Oil - the lessening production of petroleum. (For full information on Peak Oil, see Dry Dipstick - www.drydipstick.com) No matter what happens to the economy, you'll probably still need income. Work continues even in hard times.
10). Escorts Bartering : A Great Way to an Additional Income By : Ispas Marin When it comes to escorts you should think that they can have a quite different way to make some extra income. I call this bartering. you can think about bartering as a way to get some goods and services at some very cheap ways. It's known that everybody has needs and so do escorts. In almost all the cases this needs that can turn in goods or services are easily procured trough bartering far below what the cost would be for cash.

New Culture and Society Articles
1). Broadway Offers Choice Entertainment For All By : Tom Sample Broadway has a rich history of showing live plays that can be traced back all the way to the early 1800s.
2). What Refugees Should Do Upon Entering A New Country By : John Morris You may be an immigrant and not even realize it. So be sure to fill out the proper paperwork. Many people fail to do this and as a result how long they have lived within the country may come into question...
3). Pirates of Yesterday Still Exist on the High Seas By : Jerry Cahill Remember all the stories and movies about pirates? Pirates still exist today on the high seas.
4). Fly the American Flag Respectfully and Responsibly By : Ray La Foy If your desire is to fly an American flag and follow all the customs that go along with it, read on.
5). Low Income Senior Housing, It Is All Relative By : Jerry Cahill Low income senior housing is a fast growing problem. Historically housing projects did not plan for low income senior housing. Now the need is great.
6). Choose A Wine Gift Basket That Suits The Occasion By : Brooke Hayles No matter what the occasion might be, a wine gift basket makes an ideal present. The best part is that you can personalize it by adding your personal touch to it to make it a gift to be remembered and cherished for a long time to come.
7). Go Celestial with the Celestron Telescope CPC 8 By : Anne Noonan The Celestron telescope cpc 8 is a high-end professional model with many great features for an exquisite look at the heavens. Its formal name is Celestron CPC 800 Professional Computerized Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope. This Celestron telescope cpc 8 offers easy and quick alignment and GPS, with quality of optics that is unbeatable. Set up is fast and easy, and the Celestron cpc8 is made for ergonomically correct study of the star.
8). Best Rated Gas Grills Under $300 By : Judy Simpson The first of the best rated gas grills under $300 is the Brinkman Pro Series 2210. A very basic grill, it offers a 636 total square inch area for cooking, which is very large in comparison to most in this price range. Its 12000 btu burning capacity is not that powerful, but it does offer three burners. While the cart on this gas bbq is not as sturdy as it could be the burners are made of cast iron and should last a very long time.
9). Best Prom Dress By : Kent Pinkerton Prom night is the most exciting night of high school life-and the most looked forward to. It is the night for dressing up in your best attire and creating an impression that would last as long as your childhood memories. Dressing up for the prom night is every girl's dream. Prom dresses are generally formal party gowns, long and delicately stunning.
10). Has TV helped the Online Psychic Readings Industry ? By : moonwhisper Moonwhisper.com as well as many other psychic reading websites has proven that the internet is a viable venue for professional psychics to display their services and provide an obviously very lucrative service to the major players in the online psychic reading industry. With an increasing demand for high quality and affordable psychic advice rising daily smaller websites are finding it easier to break into this niche market and take psychic service promotions to the next level with a complete line of co branded services on the web.