eXtreme sobriety

My board was loaded, and I was excited and ready to take off. I knew a race like this would take everything I had. Less than 100% would mean I wouldn’t make it. I’d practiced several crossings from Bainbridge to Edmonds and back, to get in some distance. I’d trained during the winter and in … Continue reading →

It was a typically gray, misty, and windy June day at Bainbridge Island’s Fay Bainbridge beach. Friends and acquaintances gathered to watch Steve embark upon the adventure of his life. Among these people were students from Ordway Middle School who had helped him collect and bring socks to folks living on the streets. There were … Continue reading →

This alley brought back memories as I walked by it last week. I slept there years ago, when I was living on the street. “Thank God for what He saved me from!” Today I stopped by the Real Change magazine depot downtown and dropped off some rain gear. The guys and gals there who sell … Continue reading →

Heroins’ province is no longer the seedy underbelly of the inner city. It’s now in your own suburban neighborhood, maybe even next door, and certainly in your local high schools. These kids are starting at an average age of 14.  A few words about heroin: It’s cheap. It’s deadly.  After one or two hits, the … Continue reading →

Anyone who lives or works in any major city deals with homelessness on a regular basis. In traveling more than a few blocks to lunch, the office, or the bus stop, one cannot help but notice the expectant mother sitting at the curb, the scruffy man shaking a paper cup, or a body curled up … Continue reading →

The other day someone called to say that there was someone on Bainbridge who was panhandling. Steve went to check out the situation. After a bit of conversation, the man told him that “he was raising money for an Uber ride,” and that he’d raised $60 in two hours. Steve’s take? The fella’s way is still working for … Continue reading →

Steve spent this morning at the Bremerton Naval Hospital detox unit, sharing with the patients, his story of addiction and of getting free. When he left, he thought, “No one asked any questions, no one seemed to connect with what I shared.” Feeling discouraged, he figured that maybe they’re not ready to take the hard … Continue reading →

Steve collected 441 pairs of socks from the seventh- and eighth-grade students of Odyssey Middle School on Bainbridge Island. The goals is to collect a total of 600 pairs before June 15. He will take these socks to the homeless folks living in our extended community. Thank you kids, for all your heart!    

Steve is a long-time friend of the folks at Harley Davidson of Silverdale. Together, they have collected over 300 pairs of boots for Rhoades to Recovery during the past four years. Steve has then taken most of them to the Millionair Club in Seattle. The Club distributes them to the homeless who come to their … Continue reading →

The terrific volunteers at Churchmouse Yarns & Teas on Bainbridge Island knitted these wool hats. They then gave them to me to take to the people on the streets of Seattle. What big hearts!

The students at Odyssey School on Bainbridge Island collected socks for Extreme Sobriety for me to hand out downtown. Here’s the next Generation helping out folks they will never meet.

I was just downtown and talked to a guy that I’ve been seeing for a while. He was raised in Seattle and has been living on the streets for four years. He says he’s ready to get off the streets. I told him about the places where he can get help. Friday he’s going to … Continue reading →

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.          Henry David Thoreau Free food, free bed, free booze. It seems like a pretty good offer. Yet, the nights are cold and he is a million miles away from his family and … Continue reading →