Hello all. I arrived at work this morning to find your kind
and thoughtful card on my desk. Thank you for your thoughts and offer to help
during this time. I am still cycling through different emotions for Ava and the
homeless community around the OC. I am angry, then sad, then strangely at
peace. Some staff, volunteers, and neighbors are going to meet with me soon to
discuss how we can best honor Ava and do our part to create a safe space for
our friends in this area, especially under the I 45 overpass. I am reminded of
a scene from the movie The Shawshank Redemption. If you have seen the
film you will be familiar with the scene during which Andy plays a record of
two women singing over the prison PA system. This landed him in solitary but it
was worth it to him. It reminds me that there are moments of great beauty, of
transcendent truth even in the reality of the ugliness we face every single
day. Ava was a person of great beauty. She made this dark world brighter and we
are missing more than a friend, we are missing sunlight. I have faith that Ava
has been welcomed into a kingdom that has been prepared for her and for all of
us since the beginning of time and that as I write this she is comforted and
renewed by God. I have faith that this is the destiny of all of us. Thank you
all for the work you do and for how much you love and care for our neighbors. I
cannot wait for you all to move over here and to see you every day. You are a
blessing in my life and a constant source of strength.
Rev.
Jonathan Grace
Pastor
and Lead Neighbor Relations Specialist
CitySquare
Opportunity
Center1610 S. Malcolm X
Dallas, TX 75226
jgrace@citysquare.org
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