Hanging on by the grace of God

12/15

Marc meets me with someone who’s looking to rent a space for a New Year’s Eve party. We show him Mc Alpin, talk about how beautiful it looked with the cocktail tables, balloons. We name a pirce. We’ll see what happens. 

David Grunberg, Concertmaster of the Riverside Orchestra, and before with Jens Nygard and the Jupiter Symphony, comes in. Still wants to put his own group together, to give back, to help build the space. And I want to see that happen.

Ted is bringing things in for the Crafts Festival. Judith of New York Creates is there as well.  Memories  of last year filling me. Remembering our valiant stand against the cold. At least we’ve got restrooms and a portable heat blower. 

Boxer Mike comes in. Wants to know when we’re going to get around to him. I point out the Crafts Fesitval, shrug my shoulders. Tell him to take care of his Dalmations. 

I take hot chocolate to Pascal across the street with the Christmas trees.  And talk to Marty. He compares my walkabouts to Pope John Paul II, our longest serving Pope, who always had a body guard.   I tell Marty I don’t do so well  keeping track of them, the popes.  And we wish each other good days.

P_____ comes in. Her eviction looming ever closer. Which would be a travesty of justice. We get her hooked up with the Strycker’s Bay eviction prevention project. I wirte a letter to the court. If just once I   could talk to the judge....

My son Micah has come down to see the church. So I give him a tour of the whhole buiding, tell stories. Talk about what has changed since he was here a year ago. Seems like a lifetime. Seems like yesterday.

The Board of the Interfaith Assembly on Housing and Homelessness arrives. We’re meeting  in the chapel. In the cold. Surrounded by Berik’s nudes. Another on the  edge organization. As long as I’ve been President ...and before ...it’s been precarious. Hanging on only by the grace of God. Like us.  But, hanging on still. And so we will try one more time to get it right. To find a way for Marc  to be the prophetic voice he has been for all these years. And somehow move closer to sustainabiliy. Which also I struggle with on a daily basis. I so relate to what Marc goes through every day. It’s my story too.