A Happy Man

“A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.”
- Albert Einstein

Greetings from Brooklyn, New York where there is a ‘Happy Man’ that Einstein’s quote describes. Many blog readers know Esteban Martinez who was School on Wheels Regional Coordinator for Skid Row, Downtown Los Angeles and East Los Angeles.

For all of us who miss, love and care for Esteban, he is fantastic along with his girlfriend Tatiana who I am sorry to say was working this day. Esteban is a great guide and made our time (my brother was with me) in both New York City and Brooklyn very special.

Esteban lives in Brooklyn and works in New York City for an organization that services Homeless Family Shelters. He is using all his abilities and talents in this position which includes some direct contact with the children. I am real proud of Esteban in all his endeavors in living and work.

Here are two excellent sites if the Brooklyn Bridge intrigues you. For me, it was only a dream in my head to be near the Brooklyn Bridge. Now it is a dream come true. Esteban has walked over the Williamsburg Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. He has saved the best for the last of these three bridges. His plan is to walk the Brooklyn Bridge at night with all the lights. How great is that!

• http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Brooklyn-Bridge-lyrics-Frank-Sinatra/05524367E24F7821482569210027230C
• http://missus-emm.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-york-day-4-both-sides-of-brooklyn.html

When we stepped off the bus in Port Authority, New York City, (Via the Lincoln Tunnel) the following was right outside the door. In the 1950’s, my first teaching experience was on Mott Street in the Bowery so I cannot express the feeling of joy to see the magnificence and to breathe the air that is New York City.

I took many pictures that I will sneak in here and there in the days to come to give those who have never been to New York City a little peek into its magic. But if I had a choice, I would want to live in Brooklyn and cross over to New York for the excitement. Brooklyn has a very distinct calmness in the air and beauty around in their buildings, parks and certainly in the people.

The security in New York City is everywhere – from the police man walking the streets to those in cars and you can really feel their presence just about everywhere. I was grateful to these policemen who were not used to being asked to have their picture taken, but did so graciously. They also knew I would be sharing with you in this blog.

New York City Services for the Homeless:

• http://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/html/home/home.shtml
• http://www.irp.wisc.edu/dispatch/tags/homeless-children/

What jumped out of me in the second site was when I scrolled down to NYC:

“Homeless Children and Families – New York City – Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 at 14:13 | Summer brings a wave of homeless families, By Julie Bosman, July 6, 2009, New York Times: “As the school year sailed to a close last month, Arielle Figueras crossed the stage in her cap and gown and proudly accepted her fifth-grade diploma. The next day, she was homeless. Arielle, a petite 11-year-old, and her parents, brother and sister packed their belongings and arrived at the intake center for homeless families in the South Bronx. Though they had been fighting with their landlord for months and their gas and electricity had long been shut off, they refused to leave their apartment while school was in session…”

Homeless, and on a college path to independence, By Amanda M. Fairbanks, July 5, 2009, New York Times: “For many college students, survival means keeping up on assigned reading, maintaining an acceptable grade-point average and squeezing in extracurricular activities. But for those at Advantage Academy, a program offered by the city’s Department of Homeless Services and St. John’s University to provide homeless and formerly homeless people with the chance to earn an associate’s degree, survival looks like something altogether different…”

How wonderful to know that Esteban is doing his part every day to reach out to the homeless families directly to help meet this crisis in America. 2010 was a great year when Esteban and Tatiana arrived in Brooklyn just across the Bridge to New York City.

Tagged as: Brooklyn, New York, Pictures