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Writings From Our Guests
So many caring people… I’ve been very blessed to meet… Your words of inspiration… Helped to bring me to my feet… My pain seemed overwhelming… When I came into this place… You’ve helped me start to slow things down… My recovery is no race… Each and every one of you… Has touched me deep inside… I feel no need to isolate… Or run away and hide… Your kindness and compassion… Is felt by all you’re near… Though briefly I have known you… You’ll be treasured through the years.
Jenni, a guest at the Next Door, wrote this poem in February and put it on the bulletin board there. We reprint it here with her permission
ENCOURAGEMENT * Just for Today *
Sometimes things just don’t go the way you thought they should have gone. The way you planned, the way you wished.
Always remember God is not to blame. People, places, things, choices, actions all have an effect on how things are carried out.
Never keep grudges for too long, or give up, or let someone down, or let God out of your life!
Sometimes you’ll have to just let go!
Always love yourself, and the people that matter the most, and God of course!
Never forget there’s always tomorrow, Never stop caring, or try to be someone else!
Be You! Be True! ~ Love ~Let Love ~
Kellie Ann Eberstein
~ Love Takes Time ~
The joys and pains… Some great, some small… When you think you’ve found a door… You run into another wall… Struggle and sacrifice… It’s all give and take… As we walk blindly down… This road that we make… Some bumps and some hills… We’ll smooth and we’ll climb… Love doesn’t take miracles… It only takes time…
Jenni Hatfield
The Things In My Heart I Love
God, friends, Dads, Moms, Grandparents, Church, Jesus, Next Door, Open Door, Life, people, the Bible, Helping, Sheltering, Loving, Special things, White People, Purple People, Orange People, Red People, Gray People, Black People, Yellow People, Blue People, Pink People, All People, Good People, Bad People, I Love Nice People, Great People, I Love Homeless, Rich, Medium People, I Love People. All Kinds of them. Being Rich with Love. I love being loved. I love being giving, Being who I am. People I work with. The Deacons Conference, Michigan, hope, wonder, Joy, music, Advice, Praying, Hymns, flowers, Hugs, Kisses, tears, family, cars, Apartments, Bible Studies, freedom, Shopping, Dreams, My Hero Angel, Exercising, food, Swimming, Glasses so I can see you all, Hearing Hymns, Children, Smiling, truth, stuff, charity, Open Door Ministries, My love for people, God and everything listed Above and Below I love. Painting, Crafts, Sewing, Being Caring, Being Blessed.
Amber Simmons
My Stay at the Next Door
When I was staying at the Next Door Shelter I was able to go back to school to get my High School diploma. While living there I was able to save enough money to get my own place and bought me a car and I have a truck. Most of the women there was kind to me. I miss some of them. Next Door is a wonderful place to live at. I love it there. I didn’t want to leave, but I know my time has come for me to be responsible for myself. The staff there are wonderful people, especially Ms. Moore. She is such a wonderful and dear friend to me. Rick is a nice and warm person too. I love them both. Thanks for letting me be part of your family. Earlene Smith
~ Changes ~
The changes we make… All have consequence… So make your choice now… While you still have your sense… These man-made pleasures… Far too easily found… Where the hell are the sellers… When your world crashes down?… Who you once were… And all you’ve stood for… Lies hidden inside you… Locked deep in your core… Lies and deception… Is the language most spoken…
How many friends lost… Or fragile hearts broken… One day you’ll see the pain… In your loved ones’ eyes… It will cut like a knife… When you finally realize… How good will you feel… When you’re freed from its hold… These steps you are taking… Quite small but still bold… It will take a lot of patience… To get the monkey off your back… But you’ll come out a richer person… The monkey’s all you’ll lack ~
Jenni Hatfield
Three Decades Later, A Previous Guest Reflects On Her Stay At The Next Door
Things Remembered
Thirty one years ago I was a guest at the Next Door. I was a 17-year-old runaway who had just left home. The staff welcomed me and made me feel safe.
Back then I was afraid of everything. The staff had to have a lot patience with me to deal with my fears. They did so by investing a lot of time into my well being. Eventually I calmed down, and started trusting people.
My nine-month stay was not always smooth. Like most teen-agers, I made my share of poor choices. There was always someone to set me straight when I did.
My assigned counselor was there to listen and advise me. He was also there to put me on the path in the right direction when I made poor choices. He was always encouraging, and my greatest supporter.
The thing I remember most about being a guest at the Next Door is the love. Love took on many forms. The forms that stuck with me are encouragement, faith, and discipline. Without them, I am sure my life would have turned out much differently.
Things Learned
Life is full of learning. While I was at the Next Door I learned a lot. There were practical things. There were things about myself, and others. I even learned things I wasn’t aware of until years later.
One of the most practical skills I learned was how to cook. Following instructions wasn’t difficult. That’s all a recipe is. Getting the things I needed to fix a meal was quite a different matter.
The resident house mother allowed me to fix dinner occasionally. She encouraged my creativity in the kitchen. She also helped me get organized. If I needed help, or if I ran out of some ingredient for supper, she was always there to lend a hand. My family is still benefiting from what I learned in her kitchen.
Another thing I learned while a guest were some techniques on how to play the piano. There was a volunteer staff member who took an interest in teaching me these techniques. The things she taught me came in handy when I started taking piano lessons five years ago.
The results of what I learned at the Next Door are still with me today. Lynda Senn
Lynda (Stoops) Senn stayed at the Next Door in 1973. She now lives in the Washington D.C. area with her husband. In 1989 she received a BA in Communications. She enjoys writing and playing the piano.
The statue in Martin Luther King Park
I’ve been here for as long as I can remember watching my brothers and sisters go by, What drives you? Why don’t you come closer and speak louder so I can hear you? Do you really need the light of day to know the days of old when I was young? Emulate me, Try to walk this earth in the way that i did… Try to speak like i did. I have so many questions for you, My thoughts screamed out in the cold wind on a summers day. Who is the president, i cry… Is he conscientious and noble? Does he inspire love from his people like john and bobby? Do we revere him and draw pride and comfort in his patriotic image? Have we achieved world peace?... Have we achieved peace between men? If only I could walk this road again… This new world of intellectual advancement and spiritual enlightenment would not disappoint me, would it? Do you realize that in my day men would beat their wives behind closed doors? How many woman presidents have we elected in the last four decades? I want to know everything! I know that we are no longer controlled by greed as people were in my day! Just as I know that we don’t lie to each other, use each other for personal gain, We don’t take people’s homes away from them, We don’t take people’s children away from them, We don’t intrude on their aspirations. Tell me something, do we do everything we can to make sure all children are protected from hunger and given proper education to perpetuate this wonderful society we call America in the year 2004? Everything i worked so hard for, Everything i gave my life for, I’ve been standing here for four decades waiting for this day, When I could walk free from the brutal wake-up call that deafened out all sound, And be a part of this beautiful world that I helped to create. My joy is so strong that I can no longer remain here, I’m stepping forward. Who among you will be the first to reward my faith and show me the way to the world beyond this park that I cannot see? To be continued… Mike Kilbourne
I hear your sweet voices singing...
Your beautiful faces are so clear… It seems like an eternity… Since I last had you near… I pray that you both understand… Just how I love you so… That all I did while you were here… Was enough you’d always know… Not a day goes by without you… If only in my mind… You may never know how greatly… I wish the past I could rewind… I hope you both are happy… Wherever it is you are… I hope one day I can start to mend… Your hearts in which I’ve scarred…
I wonder if you think of me… In each day that you live… To only hold you in my arms… There is nothing I won’t give… You are my greatest accomplishments… To this there is no doubt… So many times I wish I had… Chosen a different route… Patience is what I need… One day I know you’ll be… Back to where you do belong… Right here beside of me.
Jenni Hatfield
Shelter Address PO Box 50102 Kalamazoo, MI 49005-0102 Phone (269) 343-6064 Email shelter@open-door-next-door.org |
