From a special service at the First Haitian Baptist Church held to pray for those struggling or lostin Haiti.
Last night was one of the better New Year’s Eves I’ve had. Lexey, Tristan, and I headed out with our cameras just before 11:30pm on a journey (three mile walk) to the center of Naples to meet Tristan’s wife, who was working at a local restaurant. We thought we left in plenty of time, but stopping so often to take photos of the bright sky and blue moon, we didn’t make much progress.
With 10 minutes until the new year, our pace quickened. With two minutes to go, we finally had the restaurant in our sights. My legs felt like they were on fire from walking so fast. When we entered the restaurant, I looked up at the TV over the bar, expecting to see that we missed it, but to my surprise there was 30 seconds to go.
Now if Tristan could just find his wife.
We walked all the way to the back of the restaurant with no sign of her. And as the chorus of revelers counted down to four seconds, Sarah emerged from the kitchen. It felt like a movie. We then stayed and had a few drinks kicking off 2010 just right.
Photos from our adventure.
Top: Ron, 69, has been homeless most of his life. After a friend forced him to check in at the local Salvation Army, he was brought to the Rescue Mission in Fort Myers. He has been there for more than seven years. Ron has seen a lot of people come through the center and has noticed a shift in who is now homeless. “Guys who are here used to own their own business,” he said. Ron, who has had a drug and alcohol problem, says he is not sure if at his age he will ever be able to leave the shelter.
Below: A candlelight vigil is held for the homeless at a local shelter. Names of people who lost their lives while they lived without shelter were read as others prayed.
Elaine Neal is a stereotype. A pretty, teenage girl who is boy crazy, shies away from responsibility and whose life, if you follow her lead, seems to be one big drama after another. A former, runner up in the Swamp Buggy pageant, Elaine seems content to continue on with a life of pleasant mediocrity, letting her middling grades lead to a middling life.
Except that she’s not.
Elaine Neal breaks stereotypes. After years of fumbling around searching for purpose, latching on to older male role models to help with her father issues, she made a bold decision to join the military. But not content to just to serve, she wanted to challenge herself. So she decided to become a Marine. Story and video HERE
