Try telling this face that there isn’t room for her and her family.
Help us expand.

At Joy Junction, it is our mission and our passion to help the homeless of Albuquerque in every way possible. But our facility is aging and small, and not only do we have to turn away people every night, we aren’t able to offer all of the services that could help our guests find their way out of poverty.

When Joy Junction expands, we will be able to offer:

• A Women’s Center

Many of the women who seek shelter at Joy Junction, including mothers with children, have escaped from some type of domestic abuse situation. Our women’s center will give them a safe place to stay while providing much needed services, such as counseling.

• Vocational Training Center

A vocational training center would give our guests a chance to learn valuable vocational skills they could use to attain and maintain a steady job. At our vocational training center, we would also continue to teach valuable life skills to help our guest learn the skills they need to be successful on their own and break the chain of homelessness.

• New Dormitory

Right now, Joy Junction can safely sleep up to as many as 118 guests on mats on the floor of our multi room, and up to as many as 300 overall. This is the same room where we serve food and hold classes during the day. With a new dormitory, we could safety sleep many more on real beds in rooms dedicated to sleeping only!

• Community Chapel

At Joy Junction, our success is dependent upon the involvement and support of the community. Right now, we hold services in our multi room (our chapel has been unusable since 1986).

A new chapel would allow us to bring together the entire community; those who need help with those who can offer help. It will also give our guests a chance to feel like they are truly part of a caring community, instead of unnoticed on its fringes.

At Joy Junction, we are here to give the homeless a hand up into a new and better life. You can help us provide these desperately needed services to the homeless of Albuquerque by donating to our Together, We Can campaign. Every little bit helps, and we can’t do it without your help!

Any contribution will help!

If the calendar hasn’t told you that summer is right around the corner, the high temperatures certainly will. Summer time and warm temperatures can pose a number of challenges to the homeless of Albuquerque and at Joy Junction, we do our best to help them. But we can’t do what we do without your help!

How You Can Help

The success of so much of what we do at Joy Junction is reliant on people like you — our incredible volunteers and the wonderful people who donate to us in any way they can. Here are just a few ways you can help Joy Junction and the homeless of Albuquerque this summer:

• Bottles of Water

One of the biggest problems faced by the homeless during the summer is lack of access to water. Life-threatening dehydration can happen very quickly when the temperatures are high, especially when someone may not have access to cool shelter.

At Joy Junction, we give out bottles of water throughout the day at different locations in Albuquerque. By donating bottles of water, you can help save lives!

• Donations of Food

Joy Junction serves as many as 16,000 meals a month to the homeless of Albuquerque at our main facility and through our Lifeline of Hope food truck and nightly outreach program. All of the food we use comes from donors.

We can use almost anything: canned food, frozen food, fresh fruit and vegetables. It all goes towards good food for a good cause.

• Volunteer Time

Summer is a great time to come down to Joy Junction and volunteer your time. Whether you’re serving food, reading to our youngest guests or sharing your special talents with us, we really can use your help. And volunteering at Joy Junction is a great activity to do with your family while the kids are out of school!

• Monetary Donations

At Joy Junction, all of our funding comes directly from the community; we don’t receive any state or federal funding. Your donations help us provide desperately needed services, like life skills classes, shelter and meals from our Lifeline of Hope food truck. We’re also trying to expand through our Together, We Can campaign so that we can offer even more services to the homeless of Albuquerque.

When it comes to helping the homeless of Albuquerque, it doesn’t matter how small the step, every little bit helps. You can contact us or call us at 505-877-6967 to find out more about helping Joy Junction this summer!

By Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D.

Founder and CEO

Joy Junction Inc.

Panhandling for Joy in Albuquerque

Joy Junction Executive Assistant Kathy Sotelo

Thirteen dollars and 10 cents and a snack wrap for less than an hour’s work isn’t bad, right? Or not?

Well, let me explain. Last Wednesday afternoon, my assistant Kathy Sotelo volunteered to do some research “for the cause,” so to speak. She stood for just less than an hour on the I40 off ramp at Rio Grande and I40 “flying a sign,” and we waited to see the results.

I was close by, but stayed out of sight as much as possible. Accompanying us was Albuquerque Christian television station KAZQ TV 32 videographer Howard Holley. He planned to use some of the experience for the infomercial we air on the station.

Within a few minutes, I was already too hot and if I’d been the one panhandling would have given up very quickly. Perspiration was pouring down my forehead, which was rapidly beginning to resemble the color of a cooked lobster. I burn very easily and have a head that’s too big for many caps and hats.

About 50 minutes after we started, it was time to conclude the experiment. Kathy ditched the sign and Howard asked her about the experience. She started off with the worst part. “It was when I was asked to come back to a guy’s apartment and ‘clean.’ He had a very derogatory tone in his voice. It made me think he had other things in mind.”

Kathy reflectively said there are some women who for whatever reason would have taken advantage of that.

“Yes,” I thought to myself, “and if they had, who knows where or how they may have ended up. Who would have had the ‘advantage’ then?”

Conversely, Kathy added, “One guy shouted, ‘good luck.’ The words of encouragement were nice.”

Looking back at the experience, Kathy said panhandling wasn’t something she could do. She said some people would glance at her and look away. They didn’t want to make eye contact.

“Panhandling,” Kathy continued, “is dangerous, humiliating and dismissing.”

Kathy recalled a response from one man in a car who yelled, “Hey, baby.”

She continued, “I was thinking, ‘You don’t even know me.’”

About people who say panhandlers are lazy, Kathy said it’s most definitely not an easy way to earn money.

She said, “My hands were shaking in the beginning and I didn’t know what people were thinking. This was just an experiment, and after my hands are still shaking.”

However, Howard and I were still curious about what Kathy thought of earning the $13.10, not a bad “take” for just less than an hour’s work.

Just before she answered, an Albuquerque Police Department cruiser stopped on Rio Grande, and Officer Martinez, a female, got out of the car and walked quickly toward us. The officer, who was very pleasant, said APD had gotten “a lot” of calls about us.

I told her that we were from Joy Junction and just conducting an experiment. Officer Martinez said that panhandling was illegal and subject to a citation, fine and even jail.

I was curious, as I had thought that only aggressive panhandling was illegal, not all panhandling. Officer Martinez emphasized that all panhandling was illegal. I thanked her, said we would be on our way soon, and she left.

Interestingly, just after we vacated our “spot,” it was filled by someone else.

So yes, while $13.10 and a little food isn’t too shabby for less than an hour’s work, it can set some real big wheels in motion- those of the justice system. They can crush you.

Just imagine if Kathy had been panhandling for real. She could have been cited and ordered to appear in court. When she didn’t, a warrant would have been issued for her arrest and (if she wasn’t already) she would have officially become part of “the system.”

In addition to being “wanted,” that warrant would have made her ineligible for services for service from the Bernalillo County Detox-MATS (Metropolitan Assessment and Treatment Services). After all, if you have a warrant for panhandling, who wants to spend time in jail so you can go back to MATS?

That’s sometimes an issue for us at Joy Junction. If someone falls off the wagon while on our program, we like to send them to MATS to get assistance. However, if a warrant is in the picture, there’s no help available until it gets taken care of.

I understand citations and arrests for aggressive panhandlers who are harassing and scaring people, but using an officer’s time to deal with a non aggressive panhandler? How many “real” crimes were occurring while an officer’s time was tied up with this? It’s worth thinking about.

A little later I was thinking about the “lot” of people who had called APD about Kathy’s panhandling. I wondered exactly how many people had called, and why. Didn’t they have anything better to do? Looking on the bright side, maybe they were calling for Kathy’s “protection.” While Howard had tried to make himself invisible, it hadn’t worked that well. Kathy said while standing in her spot, several people had alerted her to his presence.

But with panhandling being illegal, why do we see panhandlers citywide?

A spokesperson for Albuquerque police told KOAT 7 back in April that the city enforces the ordinance on a case by case basis. Some officers arrest panhandlers, while others just take away their signs asking for money and tell them to move on.

Panhandling for Themselves

Having conducted our own panhandling experiment, I wondered about the panhandling experience of some of the guests staying at Joy Junction. A few were willing to talk.

Josephina told one of our staff she had panhandled for a while in Albuquerque. She said she had been cited and arrested once and jailed with a $100,00 cash bond.

Josephina said she was ordered to not hang out in front of the store any more where she had been panhandling.

Josephina said she’d had both good and bad experiences panhandling. She claimed some of the men who gave to her wanted more than a “thank you.” They were hoping for sex.

In addition, she added, store owners and employees were mean, treated her “horribly,” and ran her off.

On the good side, Josephina said, many “religious people” were very generous.

Annette said she had also been panhandling for a while in Albuquerque. She told us she was cited and had to go to court.

However, she continued, the judge postponed the hearing, dropped the panhandling charges and charged her with an interfering with traffic violation. Annette didn’t remember the amount of the fine.

Annette said panhandling was a good experience, claiming she made between $300.00 and $350.00 daily from drivers of cars, whom, she said, routinely waved her down.

Katrina, also panhandling for a while but never cited, described the experience as “scary.” She said most people with whom she interacted would give her stuff, such as food, rather than giving her money. She added that on occasion, workers from area businesses would bring food out to her.

Elizabeth said she has panhandled for a while in both Belen and Albuquerque, although she said Albuquerque was more profitable. She said she has never been cited but had been run off by business owners.

Elizabeth said working between three and four hours daily, she could make between $20.00 and $40.00 a day.

So whether it was the money Kathy made (which was all donated to Joy Junction) or the funds these Joy Junction guests claimed to pull in, taking the risks into account-like fines and possible jail time, it doesn’t seem quite so good after all.

What do you think about changing the 2004 Albuquerque ordinance that makes all panhandling illegal, and just restricting it to “aggressive” panhandling? That might just free up some police time and ensure people don’t get sucked into the downward spiral that occurs when they enter the justice system, as well as keeping them out of the already overcrowded Metropolitan Detention Center.

It’s worth thinking about, right?

For more information about Joy Junction, visit www.joyjunction.org

No one deserves to be lonely and unloved.

“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless, but the poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.” – Mother Theresa

We typically define poverty as a state of not having enough, but what we often don’t realize is that as a society, we tend to dehumanize those without enough. People are reduced to their needs — they are just mouths to feed, backs to clothe and citizens to shelter. We also tend to forget that that kind of poverty isn’t limited to those who can’t meet their own physical needs. There are millions more who can provide food, clothing and shelter for themselves who are, nonetheless, in poverty because they feel alone and isolated.

Too many fail to see the human behind the need, whether the need is material poverty, the poverty of being unwanted and unseen, or both.

No matter how you define it—spiritually, religiously, metaphysically or biologically—we are all connected. We are all human with basic human needs. Those needs include food, water and shelter that support our physical health. But human interaction supports our emotional health, which is just as important to our well-being.

Too often, however, this need for human interaction and connection is overlooked. A homeless woman on the sidewalk asking for change, for example, is ignored so often that she begins to feel invisible. A homeless child, embarrassed by that he wears the same clothes every day doesn’t connect with peers and feels alone. But even someone with a job and a home can feel lost and lonely without human connection.

You can offer an essential point of connection — you can help someone feel that they are seen and cared for just by offering a smile or making eye contact. You can also help yourself if you feel the poverty of isolation and invisibility by putting yourself in a position where you matter, where you are wanted and appreciated. You can actively make yourself visible by striking up a conversation with someone who is homeless or volunteering somewhere, like at Joy Junction.

You can help re-humanize the invisible, whether the invisible is you or someone else.

NEWS RELEASE FROM JEREMY REYNALDS AT JOY JUNCTION

Apps Becoming Popular for Albuquerque’s Non Profits

Joy Junction, New Mexico’s largest emergency shelter, in collaboration with award winning local app development company, SDI-APPS has released a new app available on iTunes, Google play, and Blackberry Market.

Joy Junction Founder and CEO Dr. Jeremy Reynalds said he is very excited about the new app, because it provides yet another way for Joy Junction to tell the homeless story, an avenue to which Reynalds is passionately committed.

“We live in a technological age, and we are making every attempt to harness that technology to let people know the plight of the ever increasing number of homeless people,” Reynalds said.

Some of the app features include: general information about Joy Junction, the ability to easily make Paypal donations to the shelter, volunteer, a direct number dial to Joy Junction’s main office, GPS location feature to map directions and links to external resources.

Sue Jiron, Founder-CEO of SDI-Apps, which provided the app for Joy Junction, said, “We are deeply committed to the Joy Junction cause and all they do to help those in our community. Bringing the mobile apps capabilities to those wanting to support them has been a rewarding experience, and we are confident the app user will find it be a simple process.”

Reynalds added, “I am appreciative for the commitment of SDI, and what this app allows us to do. By leveraging the rapidly expanding app market, we are making it easier for our supporters to help us continue our mission of mercy and better provide for those who are often overlooked.”

SDI has also released an app for Albuquerque’s Grace Church. The app provides users access to events, announcements, public and private prayer requests, as well as the ability to volunteer and donate in the safe app environment.

Jiron said, “I applaud Joy Junction and Grace Church for embracing the new technology. Their forward thinking will allow a level of engagement that will be widely embraced by supporters and members. We are in a rapidly changing environment where consumers have come to expect  immediate access to places they connect  with. The Joy Junction and Grace Church apps answer that call.”

To download the Joy Junction app go to:

To find out more about SDI, go to www.sdi-apps.com

To learn more about Joy Junction  visit www.joyjunction.org

A little kindness can go a long way.

Theodor Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” His wise words echo our belief — even the smallest gesture helps us provide food, shelter and a hand up to those in need in Albuquerque. And when it comes to helping, the smallest gesture really can make a difference.

Every Little Bit Helps

Donating even one can of food can help us provide a meal for someone who may not have access to food on a daily basis. And every donated dollar helps us move one step closer realizing our expansion project goals.

Everything we do at Joy Junction depends upon donations and our incredible volunteers, and there are so many small ways you can help:

• Donate a little bit of time to read to the kids at Joy Junction
• Volunteer one weekend a month to helping us serve food
• Entertain our guests for a night with your special talent
• You and two friends can donate twenty dollars through our Two by Two fund to raise money for our expansion project
• Lead a Bible study class for our CIPP program
• Throw a birthday party for the children who stay with us
• Join Joy Junction on Facebook and Twitter and help pass on our message

There are so many small ways to help out at Joy Junction, even if you can’t afford a monetary donation. When it comes to supporting Joy Junction and the homeless of Albuquerque, it really is the thought that counts.

Without You, We Couldn’t Do What We Do

We couldn’t help as many people as we do without your support and the support of the greater community. No matter what it is, we at Joy Junction and those in need in Albuquerque appreciate every gesture!

Thank you!

Controversial Viral Video Tells Viewers to “Fitch the Homeless.”

Joy Junction Gives Abercrombie & Fitch Clothing to Guests: Urges Others to Give Clothing to their Local Homeless Shelter

Writer Greg Karber is giving Abercrombie & Fitch clothing to the homeless, and he’s hoping others will join in.

According to Karber’s YouTube viral video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=O95DBxnXiSo&feature=player_detailpage), it’s his way of responding to recent reports about A&F CEO Mike Jeffries.

Jeffries has been in the news this week because he said that A&F clothes are for “cool kids” and are absolutely “exclusionary.”

Karber’s stance has plenty of detractors, with some homeless advocates saying he is making use of the homeless and “dehumanizing” them.

However, I don’t agree with Karber’s critics. I see many of our homeless guests as being in the same category as those individuals whom Jeffries apparently doesn’t want his stores to serve; they’re marginalized and often scorned.

I hope this video helps bring attention to the plight of the homeless, and brings donations to homeless agencies nationwide in what is often a very dry season for giving.

Joy Junction Transportation Manager Lisa Woodward  (who was formerly homeless)  said, “I believe  … that this response to Abercrombie & Fitch does help open the eyes of many blinded by the injustices done to the homeless or anyone who is not within today’s view of beautiful and worthy of simple respect and dignity.”

She added, “Today’s world sticks its collective nose up in the air to anyone who doesn’t make a certain amount of money per year and is able to fit in size 5 clothing. In addition, the homeless themselves are seen as festering sores on the face of their view of the world and what it should be. Perhaps this gentleman and others like him can widen the view of those with blinders on.”

I’ve read some comments that say Jeffries has a right for his brand to sell-or not-to whomever it wishes.

That’s true. And we also have a right to say what we think of the decisions made by Jeffries and A & F. With that in mind, we had a small  giveaway of A& F clothes at Joy Junction on Sat. May 18.

Our guests seem to really appreciate the unexpected bounty, with one man very happy with his A&F shirt. I hope people will tour their local thrift stores, buy up A&F clothing, and donate it to their area homeless shelter.

Karber’s YouTube video touts his idea of giving Abercrombie clothing to the homeless. In the video, he buys A&F clothing from L.A. thrift shops and then gives them away to people living on the streets of East Los Angeles.

There’s also a growing controversy over the fact that A&F does not sell women’s clothing above a size 10.

That’s according to a Business Insider article (www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-wants-thin-customers-2013-5#ixzz2TbafhVwQl)  in which Robin Lewis, co-author of  “The New Rules of Retail”, was quoted as saying about Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries, “He doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people. He doesn’t want his core customers to see people who aren’t as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they’re one of the ‘cool kids.’”

A 2006 Salon article (www.salon.com/2006/01/24/jeffries)  quoted Jeffries as saying, “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he told the site. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong (in our clothes), and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”

After Jeffries claimed his comments were taken out of context, an eonline article said, (www.eonline.com/news/416531/abercrombie-fitch-ceo-mike-jeffries-doesn-t-want-fat-customers-says-author-robin-lewis/news/416531/abercrombie-fitch-ceo-mike-jeffries-doesn-t-want-fat-customers-says-author-robin-lewis),”While Jeffries’ quotes certainly shed light on the brand’s ads, it’s not clear how much Lewis’ comments reflect his own opinions of A&F and how much they accurately reflected the brand’s actual attitude.”

Author Jennifer Chan continued, “But here’s one thing we can all agree on: If that’s the brand’s true position, it’s clearly going to alienate a lot of people.”

Never a truer word spoken.

Every child deserves a good education.

An education can unlock the doors to so many opportunities. Yet, many children who are homeless do not receive the education they need to succeed, putting them at a disadvantage when they grow to adulthood. Many will find themselves only continuing the cycle of homelessness they experienced as children and/or young adult.

Barriers to an Education

Homelessness creates many barriers to achieving a good education for children. According to an issue brief by the National Network for Youth:

• One-fifth of homeless children in the United States repeat a grade in school
• About 12 percent of homeless children are not enrolled in school
• 45 percent of homeless youth do not attend school regularly
• The percent of homeless children who will attend more than one school in a single school year is 41 percent. 20 percent will attend three or more.

It is almost impossible for children to receive a good education when they are not often in school or frequently changing schools, much less the type of education they need to help them break the cycle of homelessness.

Even when children are able to attend school, they may face further barriers to education such as inability to focus due to stress and/or hunger, emotional problems and even cleanliness and exhaustion issues.

Pathways to a New Life

An unhindered education that truly helps a child learn and grow can be one of the most important steps to breaking the cycle of homelessness.

A good education provides traditional knowledge, of course. Knowledge can help them attain scholarships for higher education that will help them gain earning potential and a find a higher paying job than workers who have less education.

Education, however, offers more than just earning potential. Education provides a chance for children to learn about themselves and perceive the world in a way that helps them see the choices they make for themselves in a different, and hopefully more positive, way.

Education also provides life skills that help children maintain self-sufficiency throughout their lifetime including interpersonal skills, financial skills, problem solving and decision making skills and a sense of the work ethic it takes to attain and keep a job.

With education, the range of possibilities for a child grows — the world expands as their options increase, all of which make for a brighter future and a way to break the cycle of homelessness.

Supporting Growth

Providing a stable education to children and youth who do not have a stable address is difficult, but there are ways that can help overcome barriers to education:

• Increasing the support within educational systems
• Providing educational programs outside of the education system, such as Joy Junction’s reading to children program
• Increasing funding to educational systems for homeless children and youth
• Increasing funding and enforcement of the McKinney-Vento Act, meant to help homeless children and youth attain education

There are many barriers to a good education and to breaking the cycle of homelessness, but with our help and support these children and youth may find their way to a better life.

Everyone deserves a nutritious diet.

Did you know that one in five American can’t afford to acquire proper nutrition for their families and for themselves? And nutrition matters!

Poor nutrition and malnutrition affect the human body in many ways:

• It can lead to chronic diseases
• It can lead to the slower development of social skills in children
• It can lead to poor attention in school and/or work

Worrying about where the next meal will come from also leads to stress, which can create higher levels of aggression and anxiety in both children and adults. Studies have also shown that high levels of stress when they are young can create emotional stumbling blocks to a productive life when children grow into adults.

When an adult or child receives the food they need, they are better able to learn and work. And adults who are not focused entirely on finding food for their families and themselves can focus on helping themselves out of the situation that has made them food insecure.

What Can You Do to Help?

There are many ways you can help provide food to families and children right here in Albuquerque:

• Hold a food drive in your neighborhood, school, church or workplace
• Donate food to a food bank or homeless shelter like Joy Junction
• Volunteer at Joy Junction or a food bank that provides food and meals to food insecure households

With our South Valley facility, our nightly outreach program and our Lifeline of Hope, Joy Junction provides more than 16,000 meals a month to the homeless families and individuals in need in Albuquerque. Please help us continue to provide nourishment and nutrition by donating food or money or by volunteering your time!

My Mother, Father, Brother Tony and Myself (sitting) in an Undated Photo

Here’s my mother’s day story. While I wrote it in 2000 I believe that it is still just as relevant this year as it was back then.

The man made his way slowly up the stairs to the second floor of the hospital where his mother was a patient in the geriatric unit. He walked through the ward, passing by a variety of elderly people in various states of apparent mental difficulties and physical decay.

While he had been warned that his mother’s health was rapidly deteriorating it was still a shock to him when he saw her. She was sleeping but her breathing was heavy and labored. Her hands, lying pathetically at each side of her frail body, were badly swollen. Her once immaculately permed hair fell untidily in all the wrong places.

Being assured by a nurse that it would be okay to wake up his mother, the man went over to his mom and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “Mom, it’s me,” he said. “Can you wake up?”

The woman stirred, blinked, opened her eyes fully and although a little confused appeared to be pleased to see her visitor.

“How are you?” the man asked.

“Not so good,” she said in a raspy, wheezing voice, speaking with difficulty. “I ask them to come and they don’t. I’ve got bad phlegm. Can you get me some tissues?”

The man took the nurse aside and asked her what exactly was wrong with his mother. She told the man that despite running all sorts of tests they didn’t exactly know. However, none of the tests explained the physical problems being faced by the man’s mother. The nurse pointed out that the man’s mother did have a drug patch attached to her back to help alleviate some of the pain she was experiencing.

After saying goodbye, the man left and came back the next day. His mother was sleeping. This time, things were worse than yesterday. When the man’s mother was woken up, her face was permeated with a blank, vacant stare. She was even unable to recall who had visited her that morning.

Then with the man standing directly in front of her, she said how nice it would be if her so n would come to see her. The man sighed inwardly and went to see the nurse, who again reiterated that while they didn’t know exactly what was wrong with his mother they were still doing all they could to help her. However, his mother apparently didn’t think so. With that vacant gaze she still kept telling her son, (apparently referring to the medical personnel) “I keep calling but they never come.”

A tragic story, but one especially gut wrenching for me – because the elderly woman was my mother. I visited her in late February 2000 as she lay in a hospital bed in South England: a “guest” of the country’s nationalized health service.

A couple of days later I was back in the United States, so glad that a couple of friends had all told me that I should do whatever it took to pay a visit to my “mum” while I could. The week after my return, life went on as usual — except that as you might imagine my mother was never that far from my thoughts.

The following weekend arrived and with it plans for a birthday party for one of my sons, combined with a high school graduation celebration for another and a birthday party for my granddaughter. While it was a happy occasion the joy was tempered by a phone call I received the day of the party.

My mother’s hospital had called saying that she was getting steadily worse and it was not anticipated that she would live through the day. When I asked exactly what was wrong they still didn’t know. In fact, the response I received was very vague and non-committal.

However, being on the other side of the ocean, and being unable to visit physically, what else could we do except pray and commit the situation to the Lord? So that’s exactly what we did. We then began getting the house ready for the party. Mid-way through the gathering, the phone rang. It was a nurse from the hospital in the United Kingdom, saying she was sad to have to tell me that “mum” had passed away a couple of hours before.

As you can imagine, I was very glad that the Lord had prompted me to go see her before she passed on. (The Lord had also been gracious enough to provide the funds for the airfare as well). However, I was especially thrilled that some months before this, when “Mum” first became ill, that I had contacted the pastor from my old church in Bournemouth, England and that he had agreed to go and visit my mother.

While my mother had initially been very hostile to the gospel when I gave my life to the Lord in England in the mid 1970′s, (probably due at least in part to my over zealousness in the way I shared the gospel with her) she received Pastor Vic very warmly. As I knew he would, Vic told my mom all about the love that Jesus Christ had for her. When he asked her if she believed what he was saying, she apparently replied (in that feisty manner that only she could) “Of course I do, I’m Church of England.”

I believe that one day I will join “mum” around the throne of the Lord and we will praise and worship Him together for all eternity. Maybe some of you reading this have poor or severed relationships with your loved ones. Perhaps some of you haven’t spoken to your parents for years and still have no desire to do so. Maybe they were bad parents and you have absolutely no desire to remember anything at all about your childhood.

I understand. There were some pretty rocky moments between my mother and myself. However, as a believer, I made up my mind some years ago that I was Biblically obligated to forgive my mother and love her no matter what she had or hadn’t done. And after a close friend of hers died a few years ago, I made a schedule to call her regularly so I could at least check on her in some limited fashion.

The situation boils down to this. As a friend of mine once articulately stated, the most important thing in life is relationships; firstly with God and then with each other. Make sure that your relationship with God is right, and then take care of all of the other relationships in your life. You will never regret doing so. We are not promised tomorrow. In fact, tomorrow may never come.