Life in Espanola, New Mexico

I am driving into Santa Fe (45 minutes) for daily cancer radiation treatments. On the door of the Cancer Center they have a big sign which I will try to remember to take a picture of when I go in for Monday's treatment. It says it is a gun free zone and it also mentions no knives and I can't remember what else. Isn't that the dumbest thing you have heard of?

My mechanic told me that the town where I live, Espanola, New Mexico, is the heroin capital of the United States. It is a crossroads of major thoroughfares going in all directions. While working out at the gym, I heard the janitor talking on the phone, telling someone he is doing Community Service. Of course, when he hung up, Bob the blogger had to inquire of the man as to why he was doing community service. He told me that he started doing heroin at age twelve and continued for thirteen years, living homeless on the streets. He was arrested for armed robbery. He hastened to add, "Not a bank, but I should have." Instead, he robbed his drug dealer. He has been serving nine years at various New Mexico prisons and just got out. Why various prisons? Because he got into fights. Now he is a very friendly guy with a girlfriend, house, job, and faith in a "higher power." Please include him in your prayers.

After the gym, I drove to Walmart. There is a homeless man who helps people push their carts in the parking lot. He also brings carts back to their reserved areas. A few days ago I had given him the number of a Christian Outreach program in Western New Mexico. He called the number I gave him but they had no vacancies. Today his right eye was all puffed up and closed shut because someone jumped him last night and took all the money he had been saving for a week. I offered to take him to a hospital, but he did not want to go. I gave him some money and bought him a Coke and told him I would call the Christian Outreach people. I did, but there was no answer so I left a message on their voice mail. Please keep this man in your prayers. He is a really hard worker. He doesn't have a job because he has no I.D. of any kind. He says he was born in Albuquerque and was adopted at an early age. He says he was "kicked out" at age thirteen and has been living on the street for the last twenty years.