Love Wins In The End

No one ever expected much from him upon his return to this small town. To say that his life was only going to continue to circle the drain was evident. Homeless and losing his mind, who walks away from a successful career as a chef? The poor guy, the one feeling I had left sparked for him, it really did.

Galen just kept to himself. It was evident he began partnering with other peoples labels placed upon him. Maybe for just a little to long, so that he believed their lies? Was that the reason for his plight?

He was a clown. Just an original local town clown, who always wore a frown. If only Galen understood then, just how much the discovery of a brand new Moleskine journal, that little black book, would change his town and his life forever. He would never frown again.

There he was though. His usual delightful self. Mumbling and fumbling down the town street, watching the living pass him by. Thoughts of worthlessness abounded as he dragged his feet, and why not? Cost of living was steep!

“How can I ever amount to anything that is good?” he would ask himself and smack the side of his head. The suffering that surrounded him was all to much to bare. Perhaps it was the venture he embarked on leaving town that opened his eyes to it? All those late city dark light nights took their toll. Or perhaps it was just time for him to experience the blessing that it is better to give than to receive? I heard him say softly to himself as he passed by one day…“What can I possibly hope to give a man who already has everything. Keep walking.”

All of our societies and cultures negative neuro-linguistic programming, on top of his own negative self talk was nothing shy of life ethic malpractice. Days in and days out would merely serve as a distraction, thus walking down the same streets, stepping in the same holes it would be. Until THAT day.

It was a day like any other for Galen, watching the living pass him by. He had far to much pride to sit idly by and fly a sign, because “we work or we don’t eat”. So he would walk about town, mumbling and fumbling his thoughts. This day however, he looked up for once. That is when he saw it. He finally saw it! He saw something out of place indeed.

Being a former success in the food and beverage industry trained his eye to notice things out of place. “What, is. That?” he asked himself. Skeptical as he has ever been, he changed his course and proceeded toward this out of place object.

From afar it was good, but up close it was even better! Fore, what lay before his eyes was a little black book. Shiny in its appearance, its leather cover as thick as his skin… “someone must of JUST bought this” he pleaded aloud. His excitement grew, since it had been so long since he had anything new. “But who? Who would throw a brand new, oh my goodness! It’s a Moleskine journal! Who would throw that away?” That’s when he noticed there was something even more unique underneath it, “could it be?” tapping his finger on his chin.

It was indeed what he thought it could be, MONEY! Galen knew that something in his life just may have changed for the better. I mean, what a stroke of luck for this lame duck to find something so grand! “Could things finally be falling together after falling apart for so long?” he remained cautious. Was someone in town setting him up for a fall? Who loses a new Moleskine black journal with a bunch of money taped to the back?! Someone HAD to be setting him up for failure!

Looking over both shoulders and all around with a suspicious widening of his peripheral, he cautiously picked up the little black book. Thinking it was a setup because, after all, he was just an original local town clown, always wearing a frown that no one wanted around. Back to jail for him he would go if it came down to a “his word versus their word” scenario. Problems he simply didn’t need.

Taking caution but throwing it to the wind as he always did, so predictable. He took his little treasure find and went down by the river where he sat under the shade of a mighty oak. The sun was high, but it was not hot. Winter was approaching so much so that the wind chilled his cheeks. As his heart beat with intention in his chest, he opened the book…

It read: “Galen, this Moleskine little black book is for you. YES! Even the $20,000 is for you too! No. This isn’t a set up, it’s a decision, its an opportunity… We know you have experienced a lot of trauma and that you would rather be anywhere but here. Written in this book you will find the names of places and suggestions for you to ponder starting a new life. However, if you can understand that life isn’t fair, and it’s the good ones who are attacked the most, then perhaps you will find the other names written in this book of great value.

You see? We know you see the suffering that surrounds, and we know that you have a heart to help those who are going through what you went through. There is no one else in our Community that has the experience to connect with the other homeless in our Community. So. You can start a new life where no one knows your name, or you can re-create the life that was stolen from you, by staying here. The kicker? If you choose to stay, you have to spend every penny on helping the homeless in our small town.”

He was floored. The rivers banks down stream would have flowed over if he couldn’t contain his tears, perhaps that mighty oak would have been uprooted in his fit too! “Finally, I can start over” he shouted! He dried his eyes and again, looked up. Wow twice in a day, he was really cooking with gas now. He sat in silent contemplation for the rest of my afternoon, messing up my plans for a restful evening. I digress.

Galen got up in a flash and made haste. For the next year he was researching, asking questions. Meeting with people he wouldn’t normally reach-out to. From all appearances he was slipping back into the hell from wince he came. Drinking it up and smoking weed with the homeless in their camps, hanging out with them while they were flying their signs panhandling. I mean, he really just jumped right in there and began forming relationships with our Communities under-housed.

A few more months go by. He is worn, tattered, torn and shattered again. His countenance fell, but yet he still kept carrying water buckets through the homelessness hell his Community chose to ignore. BAM! There it was, an offer was made on a piece of property in an unfavorable and lightly restricted part of town. $10,000 down and a business plan was delivered to the local bank.

Wouldn’t you know it? Galen came up with a Community Reintegration Plan for our Communities under-housed, our Communities homeless. There was not a stone left unturned. First was housing, second was recovery and counseling, third was reformation, and the final phase was restoration. All lined out with only the simple ease an uneducated former addict could muster.

In it he introduced what he coined “The 50% Plan”, fifty percent invested into the business, the other fifty? Into the Community. With a sly wink of the eye the banker, whom after an incident Galen was blamed for was never a fan, signed off on a loan. “He will fail and we will finally be rid of him” the arrogance resounded through the bankers reprobate mind. Little did the banker know, that failure was not an option THIS time. Not when the relationships Galen formed with the Communities homeless abounded.

Somehow, a being who had been beat up from the time he was a child had inspired the uninspired. He had motivated the unmotivated. Perhaps it was all because he loved those perceived as unlovable? Either way, its now five years since the day and our Community has ZERO homeless because he has helped house and created opportunity for them in a way they NEEDED!

His businesses’ and impact continue to thrive. From his concept kitchen food truck, “Hungry, Hungry, Hobo’s: Where ‘Honest Abe’ Abides, Everything is $5 bucks” serving up great specials like “Spaghetti-o Surprise” and “The Pesto Perfecto”. To “Soaked to the Bone Laundry Services: If You’re Wet its FREE”. “Its Not Theft, Just Another Thrift N’ Gift” has the best pick up service and donated hand-me-downs in town. And wouldn’t you know it? “HeBrews: Prayers N’ Coffee, Food Too” has a line around the block around the clock. Come to think of it, all of Galens’ locations have lines around the block around the clock!

From the time they open, to the time they close. It is nothing but pure inspiration, motivation, and a love so deep it forces one to walk a little softer. Love a little deeper. Ultimately helping everyone in the Community live a little bit better. For the first time in a long time, someone cared. For the first time in a long time, someone didn’t give up them. Someone came into these Community Members lives, edified relationships, making a connection so he could make a correction. When Galen told our Communities homeless, “whatever it takes I will to make it happen”. He. Meant. It!

So, ‘TEDtalks’ graciously invited me to share “what it takes to the change the world?” As I stand on this stage today, I would say there is nothing to it. All you have to do is go out and buy a Moleskine little black book, tape a bunch of money to it with a message to someone who you know can prove it. Then? Allow it to grow, always remembering and I mean really never forgetting. That we do not reap the harvest the same day the seed is planted. Always remembering and I mean really never forgetting! That love does not return void.

Perhaps? Finding out the truth about Galen laying his life down for my daughter and her friends on that camping trip. How Galen took the fall saving the trouble for all. Perhaps? Learning about trauma healing and crisis intervention after a robbery at the bank changed my perception. Perhaps? Finding out the truth about who Galen was as a being, ennobled me to see his Purpose in blighted potential. Or maybe deep down in my subconscious plasticity, I just wanted him and the rest of the under-housed out of “my” town? I will leave that one between God and I, either way. Galen and his former homeless, jobless, purposeless staff laugh all the way into my bank… Apparently they have an AMAZING employee profit sharing program. None of them have ever gone without again.

One of my tellers informed me, and apparently Galen means “calm, healer”… What’s in a name anyways? I wonder if he knows what his name means and if he knows what he is? “Maybe its time to run another Moleskine little black book experiment on him?” I think quietly to myself more these days, while sipping my HeBrews coffee with the free daily prayer card attached and enjoying my Pesto Perfecto with a small side of his Spaghetti-O Surprise, keeping my inner-child alive… Then again? What can you possibly hope to give a man who already has everything?

With Love,

The Banker

PS. Where there is a will, there is a way!