Hey, Mr. DJ!

I was so touched by the story of this incredibly bright and resourceful young man, one Kelvin Doe, that I had to share it with you here. This kid is spinning more than tunes.... Fair warning. It may leave you with an overwhelming sense of HOPE.

The Passenger

A sweet lesson on patience...

A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away- but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly...

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.'

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired, let's go now'. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said. 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.

It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.
We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Heart of The Matter

Barbra Streisand is a Killer Bee. Like I needed to tell you that.

Love her politics or not, it's impossible to argue with the passion, time and money she pours into her various charities. Recently, she's focused her attention on Women's Cardiovascular Health. Her efforts to raise both awareness and money for research are making a difference. Please take a couple of minutes out to watch this thought provoking 'PSA' she conceived and narrated. Killer Bees are born to pollinate, to inspire...

You can learn more about The Barbra Streisand Heart Center at Cedars Sinai  here.

Thank YOU, Phillip Spooner

This blog has never been, and never will be a forum for politics.

At the same time, this isn't a gay blog. And it it won't ever be that either. My homosexuality is but a mere component in the totality of me. However this blogmaster happens to be gay, and June is Gay Pride Month...and my LGBT brothers and sisters are in crisis mode once again.

Politics, especially in this current climate, are ego driven and divisive. There are thousands upon thousands (literally) of blogs out there where you can find content to get righteous about (either way your pendulum swings)- but it won't be here! I really don't have the spiritual constitution for the rhetoric anymore. I do my homework and I vote my conscience. If it's a debate you want you'll have to engage someone who needs to be in a superior position.

It doesn't really matter what your religious or political views are when it comes to equal rights. There's supposed to be separation of church and state in this country. If your reasons for continuing to fight my rights are religion-based, that fact alone should settle the debate. And yet sadly it doesn't.

I have many straight friends (and a few gay ones too) who vote differently than I do. Of all the people you know, I might just be the coolest with that.  However the politicians they cast their votes for are often the same ones with voting records and agendas that are clearly in conflict with equal rights. Note that I said EQUAL, not gay rights. I would like you to consider that if these politicians are doing what they can to make sure my rights are usurped or diminished (and believe me, they are)-  yours could be next. 

It could happen to you...

Do your homework, vote your conscience.
It's 2012 for crying out loud.



For more information and to see what you can do...
www.hrc.org