June 12, 2008
The V6A postal code is the poorest in Canada. It is the Downtown Eastside’s postal code. It is a community that is suffering and in pain. Here people look for food in garbage cans. People sleep in alleys. People scream in the streets.But there are artists here. There are mothers here. There are children here. There is tenderness here. There is laughter here. There is camaraderie here. There is community here. There is love here.
Flowers still bloom here. A few weeks ago I was walking in Oppenheimer Park and I was astounded at the amount of cherry trees in bloom. The wind was blowing and the trees were shedding there blossoms resulting in a floral snowstorm.
Compliments are still given here. One afternoon after our lunch meal service, I was walking into our UGM Headquarters and a woman that was in need, was leaving our dinning room and stopped in her tracks. She turned to me and said, “You have really beautiful hair.” I thanked her and wished her well.
The sun still shines here. There is hope here.
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