THE LESSON ABOUT GRACE

Christmas Eve I ran into Jarad and he was Singing Amazing Grace, with a pretty good voice. And in the Grey wet stillness it was echoing off buildings and sounded sweet....

In an earlier post I wrote about Robert, the Homeless Iraq Vet and how he hung out in the little park near where I live and where I walk my dog. I also mentioned Jarad, another Vet in that piece about Homelessness and PTSD and Vets. Jarad was in Iraq I, and has PTSD and self medicates a bit with alcohol, and that means he isn't always allowed to sleep at the shelter. And he has sort of a job, he calls himself a MetalMan. Here in Cleveland and in other cities around the country ( Baltimore,Pittsburgh ) Impoverished are finding a new way to make money.Used to be people collected cans and went to transfer stations to get money. Now it is Metal, any kind, copper gutters, ribarb and plaques off old abandoned buildings. We have this giant hole across the street where the City is I think trying to fix some kind of problem, it has metal sheeting and rods holding the hole together, and letting the Steam out and keeping the dirt and debris from falling Into the Hole. It is a Hole of about 20X10 feet.

Jarad had his old rattley grocery cart with him and had already harvested some placards and old rusted gutter pieces. I tried was trying to explain that he should not pull the metal that was holding up the barrier around the Hole. He was nice about me pestering him in his efforts, and I realized that he was just doing "his" job, and that my Engineering Rationales don't mean much when someone is Broke and Hungry. I knew that when I came back walking the dog, that the metal rods and more would be gone. My arguments were wasted breath.

And I came home and found an email from the Edwards, so nice and very kind. And it had a photo of them, and John looks young, but his eyes are so tired and old. And Elizabeth looks tired and ever hopeful. And there were the words that I had just heard Jarrad, the Metalman singing as he salvadged Metal.

"Through many dangers, toils, and snares, we have already come.
Twas Grace , that brought us Safe this far.
Grace will lead us Home."

And the E-Card wished Grace....

And I was struck that I don't KNOW what Grace is anymore, not really. I wish I did. But it is lost to me.
IS Grace something I can still find....And if it is a Place...
I need a better Map or a Guide....