Sheri signs copies of Street Roots

A few weeks ago I blipped a picture of Sheri and her housemates in a treatment program for women overcoming addiction. Today the issue of Street Roots with the article about Sheri came off the press and was distributed to vendors--unhoused people living in the streets and shelters. Vendors buy the paper for 25 cents and sell it for a dollar, and this is how they make a little money to cover necessities.

What made this such a great moment is that today was also Sheri's graduation ceremony from the treatment program: two years of being clean and sober. So the day began for me with a trip to Street Roots to pick up twenty copies of the paper for Sheri; and it ended with Sheri's ceremony, after which she signed copies of Street Roots for her fans, and I was able to take pictures for her with her counselor, her sponsor, and several close friends. I had supplied several photographs to go with the text, and the editors chose this one for the article.

As everyone who reads my blips knows, I've been preoccupied of late by cats. This morning at the Street Roots office, I met the office cat, Rooty, who has been living in the office and serving as the official mouser for several years. I observed the vendors petting him, cuddling him, and talking to him with tenderness. I realized how much comfort he has been to them when the office manager announced that because some people who visit the office have cat allergies, Rooty is going to have to move in with one of the staff and will no longer live in the office. The announcement brought several strong men to tears, and I was reminded again how important the animal-human connection can be for people, and how important TOUCH is to all of us.

I'm still reading and taking a comment-break, trying to manage my time in a way that feels more sane, but I'm turning comments back on, although tomorrow I'm going to a kite festival at the beach so I won't be around much.