You can't quite tell it by looking out my viewing portal on the world, but this 10th day of March has dawned with another blue sky morning over North Texas.
It is only 40 degrees out there this morning. It barely got above 60 yesterday. Today I am taking a day off of my morning swim.
I slept well last night, nothing like the previous night's horrible insomnia.
I've been intending to mention, but keep forgetting, til now, I heard from Wandalyn again. This time with good news.
My one longtime reader may remember Wandalyn is the lady who's daughter had been murdered, with the murderer never caught. Wandalyn has had trouble getting any sort of closure on the tragedy that had left her so grief stricken. Wandalyn thought a cross at The Garden of Angels might help.
But, when Wandalyn met up with the guy who supposedly oversaw The Garden of Angels she was told a cross would cost a minimum of $150, with the guy trying to guilt Wandalyn into going for the deluxe $400 version.
The Garden of Angels website indicated a cross was $40 and gratis if one could not afford one.
Well, below is the message from Wandalyn with her good news about The Garden of Angels....
I received GOOD NEWS today from Amy's grandmother, Carolyn. After a board meeting this morning, they decided I would get a cross for my daughter for $40. It will be ready in about 2 weeks. I was so happy to hear this, after all I just went through. I told my story to a mother who has a cross at "our garden of angels". I had asked her if she was pleased with the gardens. She said she was. She gave me Carolyn's phone number. I called her and told her my story. She said she was so sorry that happened. She said I would get a cross for Tina and that she would present the cross story and the flag story to the board, when they met Saturday. Thank you for your interest. I read your blog. You presented my problem good. It's nice to know someone listens to an old lady nowadays. The flag was donated by "Joe" from Grand Prairie~the flag came from Illionis, though. I can't wait till I get Tina's cross out there. Maybe, since Spring is just around the corner, the Volunteers will began to appear and the Garden of Angels will once again look like your webpage. I surely hope so. I'm planning on being one of the Volunteers to appear at the next cleanup the last Saturday of the month.
Thank you again,
wandalyn
I'm relatively new to your blog, Durango (Mr. Texas?). But from what I've read, this breakthrough and happy ending for real life people in this godforsaken area of America is the second one that your blogging has helped bring about.
ReplyDeleteThe biggie was the win for that Steve fella and his neighbors on Carter Ave. In fact, it seems like it was a year ago about this time that you helped start that Carter Avenue Rescue Operation.
That was awesome. For us sappy Americans who still love what the American flag stands for and believe in exercising our freedoms. Probably not so positive a feeling for Steve's predators and their buddies, though.
Someone had mention in a comment to a post recently that some kind of public show of support for Paradise Center might be in order. I would second that.
How would we go about putting something like that together, a-la C.A.R.O. that you had helped organize? I'm fortunate that no one I know has any of those disabling mental illnesses, but see them everyday on my trips on the T and around the new part of Lancaster Avenue.
I just think what was done to them will happen again if we the people don't stand up and say with a clear voice "No, you cannot treat our weak brothers and sisters like this again--ever!" That's what the GLBT community and other decent citizens did after the shocking Rainbow Lounge raid.
The symbol of that positive public reaction was: THE CHIEF OF THE FWPD LED THE GAY PRIDE PARADE DOWN JENNINGS JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO TO SHOW THAT FORT WORTH HAD GOTTEN THE MESSAGE.
I'll donate to the Japan tsunami-earthquake relief. But I SHOULD and MUST do something for people living right in my community as well, though.