%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 25 0 R ] /Count 2 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 12 0 R /F6 14 0 R >> /XObject << /I1 20 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 15 0 R /GS2 16 0 R /GS3 22 0 R /GS4 23 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text /ImageC ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 3.1.0 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20251106231431+00'00') /ModDate (D:20251106231431+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Annots [ 18 0 R ] /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1304 >> stream xVn7}Wc8KK8&@84Ҳ%reE$g%|(/Μ9sf84IӔίn5y 7tՌ ]))%)-Drc{5^ -IaheS+ͳi^/&_'T&Y?r2>)2pWĽ'=Q]_Fg8~tv%<|%u=:MqaNMn&JOI^qEQP?Xf9VjZ !fw&5$Y9xk9+y`.eN)NI 4OY:j!#?j*vN߿tEʨZ=8^1V*#%ړlu״6I8֣=W_%Vls]<2'Aή^ M,ZoZ5^]o Z9&ƮD [Ӌf IVwz/g7Z`^لn4 ;!uk?m0y2cIRQ+R ff^|;Jѽ2E;^-tbj9.*gI^"xκ&rh6HN4q:#a׭brt{gHWW#)hl.79Q N&̴mrtBch:1J+pʹ2ixF{Zڮcr=BQ@q|MN)jd&$Q?Eש(>[:۳S+ʝ-K0jV]t1A֣:ҞW3c2 ,U dk͘tN#fݮfWeaq)@8Es8m䠨3#[Nr%V # 1LڳjkG@C|> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Oblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 13 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F6 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 17 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /Annot /Subtype /Link /F 28 /A 19 0 R /Border [0 0 0] /H /I /Rect [ 35.0000 469.8020 147.5000 610.8020 ] >> endobj 19 0 obj << /Type /Action /S /URI /URI (https://caringmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/max.jpg) >> endobj 20 0 obj << /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 150 /Height 188 /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB /Filter /DCTDecode /BitsPerComponent 8 /Length 5641>> stream JFIFC    !'"#%%%),($+!$%$C   $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$" gR$NG2ɨom\_JDΤd)UQ' 'B0j*|kis砰=IJggac Da+b3uXma.ȪJ*I;9Shf>0+/#U1uluCvZ*#c-ybGX.Z] S,:Ϲ3I2!EVtŪl>׺:6Yya9"btwQVpquЍUNv .sӞzJI2GK{+pѵW0lz$12Yp q/o< eW4FmL2uRrvFFx+tk{cʎp{V ɢl*ꭜu=d2YMճ̫SRͯE\,b-'dSb/_x,\9"玠pP񎧎N'! 1"204AefSzi\1Ga_=O,ƾX؏#Æ^7~Y-x"" 5+se[,;&Y1s)[;L>7:mvk|;'e؈w6cy-˦|`gx]c \/]Lټ/KJ[ b03,+5_ɹjWwvGmFiVfC>PNo_[pOp3XU^|a *OY7ًZЭ- "H/1Y-Ԣ6ZZ,p] [ 2ާ5q:4+xQt6n3MV9=|VsQ; axYi6wXۚױ2Qj>Y+0x 㹨>g=ģ&vޥ;V >:8CXPG>TP P7`Șs3Suv +ĩzR\}s{F hD)8Yut˳%~o0'hPqa E1w~EfDx9&%sK#wGE쬾tRPչ؝NwNXŗJj`kRirlkPE\usaֿ{#! A2"1Q?#1K̸!"k1uk"I$ƥ.U&F%_Z b'd5-P>C 륑,ZϏ0TOL=ݾuv8K֨ϑr4=LylΑޣ7u.*GJ1Sg^,o_BCN fL]:J1`^4 !1"0AQa2q3BRSbr?j3ۙRU췡C*QZ}7"XƛLqign?x{c h\qU!~Ag s݆x?r*+oBq! oNąb;qYS TcFdGE^m'ʱj3:u>p JzLe-l4 =$ۃH[}#L!$:]ZL=Bp+hb)T"BHv[2R9ԩRtk{3V}=Y@3^ _5M iy*lppk]q|(aPg 0yxooQ%#7/<TȣhRZ:2+r4׷i a40\ze(N s[)Ao8X}.*zYs+Pl+u+JG"Sl IqIs.\&B'!1AQaq 0?!Q'nނw휯 u얩yVă 6+`eT!:RYHfh3+xCO,s1n4,9R._Y$6!kR*KoQM DOgBY o#rLKˈm*ZH ʹy ܦ=$3#mVT1y10mz&\ʎ>`wL^cKtU,*1t ,>n*e]=3-?'0JxZb+HnU"U;xdR$s+KИ010yG|E/T\9OSTaZMB:!D3*e;"(qRܨ%%n>~ iO}Utj {sJwWSD48QX?$YV FEgH {#^+p3 .EO^#X uP3ʗa9c[ X;ɍ&#,K+E̻3x38V*x'++*rUEiuH OE(cӏhJCIl~*TSf_K{e18]7sBuI _COD2PC/C,7R`M~<bciM2E#z}s5}ڷVڏ3oջ|"!1A aQ?^]My\zC j #l,cV iJfw9WPbep1$t,:FBj7?"iJ߅UfjèaK)KUʶ09(|uq{A Rjvh|BY#I 0vpN3S!1A Qa?wXv^nVCq0>ն+/ 3OSr6!clscif o٬N5|#xë>:{<= zqYےfp P[|2=p'!1AQaq 0?!Wt:5nd?qnū7O5lbɸO،<5]P"eTytVVyX"CfVg;KGB1LdtXno!CBQ(tfٯRXz%Sel dccE{Af7&6g>B3  |P/",#!#G "# +<XP?RD4DIv2*K1ħ7_i|%ķU^ܰ5@$3|oj[´GRop t/RWC.*Q DJqPZ=aN|˗_ŒKl< SEn,@! [K~(I~Yq(nPm@ Uo/tC1$m.\a__PȨb0IrC le|5ڹFvf˾zt9fKnB©X=B2Ed˘o\D{"WYt Ĵ#?`9qP Q/8.)e_,0@alЀ8?`8 D/_(ɤa4^%GŻe63;sM鵴ܩw~#+ ;M?*[!-ʡ/2e'7Е;A =Az`c6"VE=DvqjӳS' +Q\pvM޸U\Z{"%Z<"h4ivT([Jcwu w65/rӨCmn!{8,ԬzJ/xkmؾ2Xy4?g̰E"GrphЀ԰U?)Vq> endobj 23 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 24 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 25 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 26 0 R >> endobj 26 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1028 >> stream xmVMo6W̱\F%-9,6@E4KKRqԟ}C'v bZ9{C1a-dTeuw??Ѻ`b/is 0'=:8wd 87F9 A~i Wֳ6 kOd(B`ܳK!))ک [`Qrd+8sK&{^NFAh25z۬N=ډi[rAK"R]M_&8*C u#w40ÛRaQqDBV/achnI!w*Sz@ wI{Q#PeRBos IWiaJmT?mӰMʥjs7 ~_azamk`D 83jf[)]0dʳTOx;}řً y *~ !NWƃ}GA?N.(SRUYM\d΢Чmc2!:jYJ ?Do' y,&=ܬ niqHWd'8d݌8)K,+W)!!\8ZӋ/Pe\'fŕ`yװp*י*w)9J^0dJZ{b.Zcn ˮ!.NQ?lJU7WN&_(k}L_Վ~<ߨb m jFX~g}@ ΢Vuv幽,+ endstream endobj xref 0 27 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000428 00000 n 0000000465 00000 n 0000000614 00000 n 0000000736 00000 n 0000002113 00000 n 0000002220 00000 n 0000002328 00000 n 0000002438 00000 n 0000002551 00000 n 0000002667 00000 n 0000002696 00000 n 0000002806 00000 n 0000002863 00000 n 0000002920 00000 n 0000002949 00000 n 0000003082 00000 n 0000003195 00000 n 0000009004 00000 n 0000009033 00000 n 0000009092 00000 n 0000009151 00000 n 0000009180 00000 n 0000009285 00000 n trailer << /Size 27 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[] >> startxref 10387 %%EOF Sometimes, you can go home again | Caring Magazine
Read Caring Magazine Volume 29

Vol. #29

Hope in Action

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

Sometimes, you can go home again

April 9, 2013
2 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article
Max
Max

ARC beneficiary revisits innocence of his childhood.

By Jerry D. Bloom, Chaplain

Max was a broken man, addicted to methamphetamines. He showed up at the doors of the Canoga Park Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) six months ago. Since then, the look, walk and talk of his old life have been fading. The smile on Max’s face, the strength in his voice, the sound of his laughter and his words of gratitude are evidence of the new man Max is becoming.

In counseling sessions, Max often spoke of his childhood—as a teenager he was introduced to crack cocaine, and a life of crime and insanity followed. He spoke of other times—memories of growing up in the San Fernando Valley and the freedom of innocence he had as a child. He wished he could retrieve the reality of those days.

One Sunday afternoon, Max was working at the ARC donation center. Two men drove up in a pickup truck with a couch to donate. While chatting with Max they mentioned that they had come from the eastern side of the valley—specifically, the city of Pacoima.

“That’s interesting,” Max said. “Pacoima is where I grew up.”

The older man inquired, “Where did you go to grammar school?”

Max replied, “Telfair Elementary.”

The older man responded, “That’s a coincidence. I taught school there for many years. Do you remember any of your teachers?”

It didn’t take Max long. “My favorite teacher was Mr. Melon, from first and second grade. He would often help me put my skates on so I could skate around the schoolyard at recess. In my mind I can see the color of the skate wheels and the cracks in the pavement I skated on.

Mr. Melon would give us a treat of ice cream when we were extra well behaved. I can almost feel in this moment the excitement I had seeing Mr. Melon scoop out ice cream for each us. I remember once when Mr. Melon took us on a field trip to the snow, and we had to return home because someone got sick on the bus.”

With that, the older gentleman broke into Max’s recounting his memories of better days and with teary eyes put his hand on Max’s shoulder.

“I am Mr. Melon,” he said.

Suddenly, for Max, all the ugliness, wrongs, addiction and crimes—including 19 years of prison—weren’t there anymore. “I was 6 years old again,” he later said, “a small little boy looking up into the eyes of his hero, a good and kind man.”

After the donated couch was unloaded, Mr. Melon climbed back into the pickup truck as the younger man reached out and shook Max’s hand, saying, “My dad needed that today. My mother recently died and he has been feeling down lately.”

Download this page as a PDF

You May Also Like