The Guests, Part 2

We call them guests, the people that come to our meals, and they are certanly that.
we serve them a sit down meal, every day of the week, just like they were customers at a restaurant. Sometimes I think of them as clients, or as recipients, or as blessings, but always they are individuals....people, each with a story.

One of the first of the guests that I noticed when we came to the St. Frances Inn was a tall, muscular, man named Bill. Bill is 63 and a little scruffy looking (unkempt beard, a Jack Daniels headband, longish hair), but he also is friendly. We quickly learned each other's names, and eventually he told me his story. He used to be a New Jersey State Trooper (and still has a license to carry a gun) with a family. One day in 1974 a drunk driver hit and killed his wife and his older child. The driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter, but a good lawyer got him off with only a suspended sentence and got his driver's license back almost immediately. Bill was so incensed at the verdict that he threw his Trooper's badge at the judge and resigned from the police force on the spot.

The next 16 years were a blur, lost in drink, meth, go-go clubs, and bars. Amazingly, Bill was able to balance this life with a tow truck and garage business, getting an average of 2 hours of sleep per night. Finally, in 1989, he quit drinking and using drugs "because I didn't want to live like that anymore". Around that time, he also began coming to the St. Frances Inn because the people were friendly and many of his street friends also came here to get a meal. He has stayed around and now is a source of help for others. These include "the 96 old lady that lives behind me" and "the couple with two retarded children who live next door". He brings them food from the Inn sometimes or helps them with odd jobs. Bill still has his tow truck and a garage and occasionally works or leases out his truck to others, but spends most of his time on the street and at the Inn. When I asked him why he does this, he told me: "This is my famly now, and these are my friends. I like helping people out when I can."

Bill's story surprised me. I look upon most of the people who come to us as "needy", but am discovering that this need comes in many forms. Certainly we have our share of addicts, mentally retarded people, immigrants, and others that society views as disadvantaged. However, there are also some, like Bill, for whom this is their community in which each plays a useful and positive role. Chalk up another lesson for Mark...stay tuned, I am ssure that I have much more to learn about this unique place called the St. Frances Inn.