What a Difference a Day Makes

Friends new and old ask how I’ve evolved and migrated from Tucson to Prescott.

Seven years ago, I started and facilitated a homeless shelter in Tucson – the St. Francis Shelter Community – on the property of Sacred Heart Church the worst neighborhood in Tucson.

I am a Roman Catholic and am guided by the Church’s 7 Corporal Works of Mercy:

• Feed the hungry
• Give drink to the thirsty
• Clothe the naked
• Give shelter to the homeless
• Visit the sick
• Visit the imprisoned and
• Bury the dead.

As Jesus showed us throughout his life, we are called to serve, not to be served.  Few people can claim that they’ve matched his level of service, but I suggest that as we age, we examine our lives more closely with the hope that we’ve at least achieved the breakeven point between the good and not so good choices we’ve made in our lives.  This is particularly true if – like me – you’ve ‘walked the edge’ for some of your life.

I found that the St. Francis Community gave me the opportunity to even the score and balance the ledger; it is a place with abundant opportunities to exercise the works of mercy.

I loved what I did at the St. Francis Shelter and found my work very fulfilling.  Covid changed the world as we know it, and the shelter was not immune; we ground to a standstill. Our staff consisted of formerly homeless men, who came through our gates in need of help but stayed to help others. We had the resources, and we developed a competent staff, but COVID-19 rendered us inoperative in a time of special need.

I have two constant and major situations that I confront every day of my life:  PTSD and alcoholism. Thanks to my daily attendance with my recovery circles, my friendship with Brother David Buer, and my frequent meetings with Redemptorist Tom Picton at the Desert House of Prayer, I had my situations under control during the initial years of my work at the St. Francis Shelter.

With little management support and bearing the burden of a grueling schedule, things began to unravel as the years passed.  I started drinking and my PTSD was coming out sideways. I told the shelter’s board of directors that if I continued to drink and if I didn’t get the manpower I needed, I was prepared to leave.

Well, guess what?  Here I am in Prescott. I came here to attend the Prescott Va’s well-respected abuse program.  What I expected to be 30 days turned into 9 months. During that time, the VA sent me to Topeka, KS for a 7-week PTSD program. As I worked through the program in Topeka, I decided not to return to Tucson.

So here I am. But I need income to support my VA disability.  So I ask myself, what am I good at?  Before the shelter, I had a successful detailing business called Mr. Sparkle, and during my 7 years at the shelter, I honed my handyman and landscaping skills and developed a love and flair for cooking, particularly Eastern European dishes.  I decided to follow my heart and do what I’m good at and do what I love to do.  That decision spawned Carl’s Corner Service in Prescott, Arizona.

With a clear vision of the service I would offer, I needed to get visibility to attract clients. In Tucson, I had an old friend who helped me create a website for St. Francis. We enjoyed working together. I called my friend several weeks ago as depression and disappointment crept into my life.  When I asked him for help with a website, he didn’t hesitate to answer, “Consider it done.”

My friend has two personal websites he writes and manages, and another business website he does for an aviation company owned by his friend of 40 years.  He does not lack experience.

• The Vitruvian Man
• ES Kraay Online

We began collaborating several weeks ago on my Prescott idea and picked up where we left off with the shelter a few years back.  We didn’t miss a beat.  He does the work gratis. I thanked him the other day and he told me, “It goes both ways, Carl.  We both find purpose in doing this, and that is what life is about, particularly as we grow older.”  I smiled.  We are both of Polish descent, two broken-down old pollocks finding purpose together.  Here’s a post on his website he wrote several years before he was challenged with cancer.

The Armor for Old Age…

As I ruminate over this stuff lately, I thought about a blog he and I worked on some years ago. We wrote in contemporary language about the gospel story where Christ is preaching to the gathering crowd in a crowded house. But this crippled guy can’t get close enough to hear, so his two buddies climb on the roof and lower the guy through a hole in the ceiling. I love the picture he put with that post, and I can still see it in my mind’s eye today. This guy’s buddies helped this poor crippled guy get to where he needed to be.  That’s how I see it today; my friend and I are each recovering from challenging physical and mental situations, and we’re helping each other rise up through difficult times.

Enough of that… This website will be more than an advertising platform to supplement my income.  From time to time, we will add human interest stories that we hope you find value in.  If you have an interesting story or two, please share them with us.

I’m so grateful that my Friend upstairs puts guys like my friend in my life; he and others create a strong support system, a circle of friends I need in good times and bad. We are never in this alone, and yes, we are our brother’s keeper. My Friend upstairs has always had my back, of that I am certain.  When I called my friend about the website many weeks ago and explained my financial situation, instead of giving me a single fish, he said “Let’s go fishing.”

If anyone who reads this is struggling or knows someone facing challenges, my advice is, hang in there and don’t give up…. good things can be right around the corner. Like the song says, “What a difference a day makes…”