Guitars for veterans

Guitars for veterans

Helping veterans find hope behind the wood and strings of an acoustic guitar. Most of us have a minor life story about our early exposure to music.  I can remember summer Saturday nights at a friend’s house, where his dad and three or four of his friends would sit in...
Permission

Permission

One of the first things that exposes you to danger upon entering military service is permission. I know that sounds ridiculous but let me explain. Once you arrive at Boot Camp in the darkness of night and are greeted by a crisply uniformed and rabidly unfriendly Drill...
Isolation

Isolation

Not long ago, I received a call asking me to go check on a homeless veteran.  The call came from three states away, from someone familiar with the veteran.  I called the cell phone number given and spoke with Ben (not his real name, learning that he had been living in...
PTSD and The Fish Whisperer

PTSD and The Fish Whisperer

Not too long after opening our doors, we took in a veteran who was well into his seventies. He had become vulnerable to homelessness and the availability of a bed with us was preemptive to that. His former military service was one of tension having spent time in the...
Hopes and Dreams

Hopes and Dreams

One of our earliest residents was quite expressive with words and had a seemingly unlimited supply of them on any given day. But, he had one particular statement on repeat and if I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times. That was, “I’ve always wanted...