Introductions

These are the people who have carried me through high water.
They know me completely and each has a story of their own.
Franklin - We met in Houston where he had moved from New Your City with his wife and son to join a community out of an Episcopal (the church of the Redeemer) in a poorer section of Houston. He and his wife had a quest and for a while they found it in that rather large community. I met him as I was going to college and he was an assistant administrator at a semi-free medical clinic (meaning you paid what you could) in a really poor area of Houston. I got a chance to work in the lab, which was my first work experience as a chemist and got to know him and his family. He is passionate, particularly when it comes to care for other people who do not have. When they moved back up to this area (at the request of another episcopal church) they invited me to come. Things worked out that I finished my degree and came.
There is a portion of us that share the same feel for others and caring, as he is very outspoken, he took a lot of pot shots for doing it. We all did a lot in Stamford, much unrecognized, but that is not why we did it. There are many of the people in the South end who benefited, who do remember.
Marie - Franklin's wife, a very passionate individual. She tells me that if she had not married Frank, she would have joined the catholic workers. I consider her my pastor. She was one of those who got to see me almost dead last December and still worries a great deal over me.
Walter - born an orphan, raised in a foster home. Has only one eye and has an extremely compassionate heart. Found our small group when we moved up here and helped a great deal when we started what was called the community of St. Luke in an old episcopal chapel in the south end.
John - I call him an ex alcoholic, he would not, even though he has not had anything to drink in 33 years. Very capable mechanical engineer (with no degree). Met the rest of us down at St. Luke's . He is possibly the most gentle man I have ever met (all 6' 2" of him) and remember how much care he took of the abused people who came to the shelter. He currently is my main mode of transportation outside of walking.
David, I have talked of before. The son of a Lutheran pastor an slightly brain damaged at birth, his gifts of caring are incredible, especially to animals, the mentally ill and me (may be not much difference there).
Everyone of these people is older than me by a number of years (4 at a minimum), the next 2 are younger.
Margareta - came to the Lab as our first office /clerical help. She is married (to a guy I like a lot) and has 3 children. She has an older sister who was born with a number of problems at birth and she talks of the compassion she learned from this. We bonded early in her time of work in the lab and she has moved up to bigger and better things, but stays in close touch with me and was an incredible encouragement during the first few months after the surgery. I some times think of her as mu guardian angel.
Courtney - She works as an AIDs councelor (a job I would not want to have) and is a Reike master. For what ever reason the paths we go on are always very similas as far as spiritual learning. When I real need help, I know she will be there.
Each of these can tell me things I need to hear, even if i do not want to hear and i will listen. they are that important to me.