“The Soup Kitchen Gang”. In the 1980s, I worked for the New York State Division of the Budget. A somewhat prestigious and privileged job. I spent much of my free time with a group of folks I met at the Interfaith Shelter and the Sunday soup kitchen. We went to baseball games, had picnics, played miniature golf, celebrated birthdays. It was a delightful contrast to the hierarchy of the workplace. They were some of my best teachers. I often try to listen to the voices that are ignored or silenced – the poor, those with mental illness, those who have no home. What are the questions that need to be asked? Who do I need to hear? How will I be changed?
