I’m just “lucky to be here” indicated James as he sat beside
me in a local restaurant. “I’m the last person in the world who thought I’d be
homeless.”
Looking at James, you’d understand his disbelief. He’s a
well dressed, handsome, middle aged, well educated man whose life just didn’t
pan out as he expected. But it didn’t happen overnight. His life came crashing
down gradually over a period of seven very unlucky years. The hardship began
with a painful divorce from his wife that resulted in several consecutive
losses—his daily life with his beloved children, his home, his middle class
life with all of its familiar comforts.
The next domino fell as James was laid off from his job of
20 years within the aviation industry where he worked as a Senior Tech
Specialist and Project Manager for Boeing. Then the economy tanked, which made
it difficult for him to transition to another job in the midst of a glutted job
market in California.
Upon learning of his father and uncle’s failing health,
James made a decision to move to Indiana to be with them during their final
years. He’d already suffered the loss of his mother several years earlier. At this point, James had roughly $20 in his
pocket, along with the contents of his car. He lived in his car and stayed with
family until both his uncle and father passed away. James was able to find
various odd jobs to keep his head above water until his own health took a
dramatic downturn.
“My heart stopped all the time.” James reports that he’d
walk short distances and feel fatigued. Finally, he ended up in the hospital
after passing out cold in the middle of the street one day. His doctors
wouldn’t let him leave the hospital as they were concerned that he may have a
“death experience”. After enduring an endless battery of tests, James was
diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure and was gifted with a combination
pacemaker/ defibrillator in April of 2013.
This fall, James was hired on as the House Manager for Gennesaret
Men’s Recovery Home, a place that allows homeless men to recover from various
surgeries and physical ailments. James is appreciative of Gennesaret and most
enjoys listening to the other men coming into the home. “I know what they’re talking
about because I was there--they let down their shield and open up to me--
because they know I can relate.”
I asked James about lessons learned from these life-changing
experiences. “I didn’t appreciate
things—more importantly, I didn’t appreciate people, relationships. I didn’t even
appreciate myself.” James looked into Dean’s eyes, his Trusted Mentor, as he
shared this lesson. It’s evident that their relationship is one that both men appreciate.
It’s one that’s reciprocal as Dean shares that he too had a life altering
injury and has therefore reordered his priorities in life. He too has set aside
more time for relationships, including the one that he shares with James.
Dean is a member of Grace Church and serves every Sunday
with their Circle City Relief ministry downtown, feeding the hungry and
homeless. Dean connected with Trusted Mentors because he wanted to do more—he
wanted to walk with someone through the tough times. It turns out that Dean and
James have helped each other heal in a relationship of reciprocal support.
