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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2009)
Ht C EU5B B ATO 7C Ä B E C Ä D E ' street roots Education ♦ Dialogue* Independence jjg NORMAL A documentary film by | I E i On sinners and saints Brian Lindstrom about Central Q ty Concern's Mentor Program ; Buy it now on DVD Julie McCurdy, shown here with her dog Maggie, lives in Portland without a home. She is a regular contributor to Street Roots. Earth Friendly Baby Products targe selection of d oth diapers & wraps, natural baby & mama care products, baby slings & carriers, organic cotton baby clothes, wooden toys, personal service 2627 SE Clinton St. 503-230-7077 T t ’s been awhile since we last spoke (wry I grin). Thia article is dedicated to X “Maggie” and the person who helped me live past her loss (she was stolen on July 4). L et this be a thank you to an entire community of gypsies who did . ■■■■P- ■■■■ and continue to do their best to be supportive. I think they secretly voted By Julie in the only person who could get me McCurdy past this (himself , being an ex-army ranger combat vet. — not in the least bit intimidated by screaming gypsies). Every society, and the one I live in, has its sinners and its saints^ Most people are a combination of both, though, so let me tell you about the saint who could sin with the best of them! Nope, he isn’t dead - just off in charm school, repaying his debt to society. I will tell you. of the things I know and steer clear, of what I don’t His past is a mucky thmg whose mysteries I made no attempt to soive. Why? Because street people don’t ask the same questions other people do. To’do so might reopen wounds better left alone. I only know what I experienced being next to him. I know he dragged me kicking and screaming back to semi-sanity after Maggie’s loss. No, he wasn’t a lover. He was, and remains, my. dearest friend. This is a man known as much for his harsh, . uncompromising honesty as his deep belly laughter. I never heard this man make an anything. Neither have X sgen.;, him allow anyone else around him'to make one. I have pretty hard-to-handle notions of heroic figures, and am often disappointed when a person’s humanity shows through. Not in this case; I watched this man, day in and day out, do the right thing regardless of personal cost (my definition of heroic). He never denied any woman shelter or complete safety when they needed it. I believe that we can be a crazy little lot, and these women often repaid this by screaming and tossing water on his bedding. Still, he URBAN .GYPSY dit. * Mother Nature’s 5 ¿ÌjLliOJ never stopped offering sanity and safety. How do I know? Because I spent a great deal of time with the man. I never saw him let someone go without If he could help, he was the person who listened and saved daily details, who didn’t rant or raye. Just a “get Shit done” kinda guy, you know? This is the man in the background making things happen while others in the forefront got the credit. When I brought this to his attention, he growled back that was just a hillbilly, not a Kero. Never a good idea to call a hillbilly a hero —who knew? , He is solely responsible for reminding me how to savor the moment because that is what life offers everyone — moments of sublime joy, deep belly laughter; and moonlit madness — that somehow make up This is the man in the background making things' happen while others in the forefront get the credit. When I brought this to his attention, he growled back that was just a hillbilly, no ta hero. Never a good idea to call a hillbilly a hero — who knew? for, the mind-numbing grief of others. He taught me that there really is as much glory in the rain as there is in the rays of the sun. “Here’s to yourself hillbilly,” to the sinner and the saint in you, let’s tip a brew and remember your gift of moments and the ^gypsy you insisted on, saving. Thank you, from myself and everyone else w h o se lives a re b e tte r for you having spent time in them. In closing, let me state that every one of us, if we look hard enough, has a “hillbilly” .in th eir lives. Someone who, without thought for themselves, helped us breathe past some , impossible o r implausible circumstance. He is mine; who is your own? For myself, I will honor him by never letting the pep fall from my hand again, and doing for someone else what he did for me. What will you do to honor your own? T he L eft C oast E isteddfod a Welsh-American performing arts festival 21-22 August 2009 STORY JOIN THE MEDIA REVOLUTION! T lljT fX / W 7 / M / M L r ¿rw Ez LISTENER SPONSORED COMMUNITY RADIO PORTLAND: 90.7 FM • CORVALLIS: 100.7 FM COLUMBIA GORGE: 91.9 FM WALES Online Poetry, Short Story and Image competitions, now till August 2009 Win $100 and International Acclaim * enter at americymru.ning.com Winners announced at the live event at the Crystal BalirooM 21-22 August 2009
