Bob and Don

Location: Chicago
Timeline: 1967-1974
Characters: Bob and Don
Residence: A house on Chicago's Northwest side

Don passed away last Fall; Bob, 12 years ago.
Last night, I had a dream about a real event depicting
Bob and Don, real people of my acquaintance. There
were two scenes, both of which primarily pertained
to the house where much of my life and the life of Bob
were lived. The 'much' refers more to a matter of quality
than of quantity. The sharing of our lives with addicted
men in the two-story house spanned a period of less than
10 years, but the give-and-take of our lives with and from
the lives of those men deeply influenced and shaped me
for a lifetime.

Bob was my dear friend and mentor. Don was Bob 's friend,
and that's the way I knew him. The first scene of the dream
places Bob and Don on a street called Hoyne Ave. at the corner
of a street named Evergreen. I see them walking toward what
was to become known as Prevention House. Don was the chief
board member of the organization that Bob had started
to reach drug addicts in Chicago. Bob was showing
Don the house he wanted to purchase as a facility
to house and rehabilitate the addicts.
It was a very short scene.

Scene two of the same dream depicted
myself revisiting that facility long after the
organization had folded. I entered the house whereupon I found two ladies who did not speak English. In spite of the language barrier, I rehearsed to them a brief history
of that property. I felt so free in sharing with them, and
they responded so graciously as if they understood. It was such a delightful and awesome dream; so brief,
yet so full of cherished history.

072721PS

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