Another Life Lost

I first heard about this before sunrise Thursday. Fountain Creek is notorious for fast-moving water whenever heavy rains set in. We've been getting steady showers for a couple of days now. The threat of flash flooding wasn't a surprise.

And, I've known that several of our homeless customers camp out along the banks of the creek. For the most part, they know to break camp & seek higher ground as the waters rise. This time, though, somebody didn't.

I knew this guy, the guy whose remains were found early Thursday morning. Like the other customers who've passed away, I find myself saddened. I find myself wondering if this death could have been prevented. He was about my age, and I can't help but wonder what else he would have experienced had he lived past Thursday.

"D" (not his real name, nor real first initial) was a pleasant guy. Yeah, the vast majority of our customers are as pleasant. D was a big guy, soft-spoken and not prone to wild gesticulation. He was one I never saw get angry, never saw him beefing with another customer. In his defense, he was the type of guy who didn't talk a lot about his past. (Most of our customers didn't. And we respected that.) Maybe he didn't want anyone getting too close. Maybe there were parts of his past he didn't want to relive.

I remember one day in particular, when we had a spare military-style backpack among our items donated for distribution. D needed it, we got it to him, and he beamed like a small child on Christmas morning. It was one of those moments where you're glad you're working on the street. You actually see one of your customers being immediately blessed. He had a need for it, and put it to use straightaway.

We had several other small moments like that. D was a guy content to live the life he wanted on the streets. He was offered formal shelter, but preferred the freedom. He didn't seem to lack anything he really needed. I never heard him complain or blame others on his circumstance. He accepted his life, and possessed a grace few others have. And, now he's gone.

He'll be missed, like Tom a year ago. D didn't meet a violent end like Tom, but he was part of the gathering as well. He was a kind face in an all-too-cold city. We will go on. We have to. It's just a little less pleasant.

Rest in peace, D.