A homie named Cruz spent his last dollars taking a Metrolink train sixty miles to Los Angeles from San Bernardino, where he had relocated his lady and newborn to avoid the dangers and desperation of his previous gang life. He had a part-time job but could not get his boss to give him more hours. Now he sits in my office, rattling off a list of the pressures and needs of his family. With no safety net in sight but me, he speaks of no food in the fridge, no lights, landlord looming, no bus fare. When he finishes this breathless account, Cruz stops, shaken and exhausted. He grows teary-eyed and says quietly, “I just keep waiting.”
“For what, son?” I ask.
“For the last to be first.”
~ Gregory Boyle, Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship
Notes:
- Quote – Thank you Beth @ Alive on All Channels. Photo: if0neia
- Related Post: Riding Uptown. Saving the Best For Last.
Powerful
Yes.
This hurts my heart….
Mine too Lori.
heartbreaking
and more heartbreaking because this truth repeats itself millions of times.
Theres no easy reply to this. 🙏🏻
No, there is not Karen.
I’m just going to leave this here…
https://davidkanigan.com/2015/12/15/riding-uptown-saving-the-best-for-last/
I’m astonished with your memory. I didn’t remember this post. (And while I’m the last one to rate, I re-read this twice today, and I liked it. I actually thought it was good. For me, this recognition, is something. Thank you Sawsan. You are amazing.
I will never forget this post, until the last is first!
Thank you, for keeping it real.
What a perfect link to this post… Wow, Sawsan…
DK… you truly have the BEST followers…
Don’t I though Dale!?! Amazing…
You most definitely do 🙂
Thanks David. Powerful indeed.
Boyle is someone I so admire! Excellent piece… we need to read often. Peace
My first experience. Carrie, do you recommend anything that he has written where I can start? Thanks.
My throat is burning and my chest feels tight…
I felt exactly the same…