/  Jaywalker   /   New Orleans 2014

NOLA 2014A mouth full of gold, jailhouse tats, and a broken story from a mended man.  Bobby G. shared his climb from the bowels of Angola to the horizon of his possibilities.  His addict menace had broken him down to a shell of a man.  8 years of cell block endurance, 2 of those in solitary. He had wept in anguish, feeling written off by all he had known. He arose to reclaim his soul in the rooms of recovery, finding a meeting the day of his release. He is now free, he is now humble, he will never forget. NOLA too has wept in anguish, 8+ years ago gutted by Katrina.  There were suggestions at the time that this city also be written off, abandoned, left for dead. Too much damage, too much money, too monumental a task to bring her back. Those suggestions have been proven preposterous, for the spirit of a person, a place, a community, can never be underestimated.  We of Solutions were fortunate to be a part of the NOLA community this past week. We felt the spirit of this place, tasted the tradition, listened to the heartbeat.  We pitched in to help those still waiting to return home, still WAITING! We were rewarded with the gift of lives on the upswing. Our lives, the lives of those we helped, the lives of those who helped us. That’s recovery.  Bobby G., NOLA, me and you, we all walk the same road. Who dat?  We dat!  Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez.

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Dan Reed

Program Director

Jaywalker Solutions