A PERFECT FIT...

(Pictured at right, Jamie Letson, seated, is wearing the shoes the Charlotte Wingard, background, gave her when she stood on these steps barefoot – just out of prison with nowhere to go.)

For most who knock at the door of the Wingard Home, their only baggage is addiction or the memories of a bad life.

For nearly two decades, Charlotte and Roy Wingard have opened their door and their hearts to people who have nowhere to turn and not even a pair of shoes to call their own.

But don’t tell Charlotte that she runs a homeless shelter. She’ll quickly correct you. “This is a Christian home,” she said.

The Wingards give residents food, clothing and shelter but maybe even more important, a chance to get their lives on track.

The question is why.

“We do it to tell people about Jesus,” said Charlotte. “You can’t just go out and give someone a sandwich. You’ve got to get them in here and treat their addictions.”
When residents first come they are all humble, she said.

“They’ll lie — it’s a protection measure. Many have conned their way through their entire life.”

The Wingards know plenty about addictions and being homeless. They found themselves out of money and on the street in Atlanta in 1988 — her addiction was money and Roy was addicted to drugs and alcohol.

“There are many reasons someone can end up homeless,” said Charlotte.

“Alcohol and drugs certainly aren't the only addictions.”

“The abused women are the worst,” said Charlotte. They’ll break your heart. One phone call from a man can send them right back. I still can’t comprehend that.”

Jamie Letson, 47, spent nine years in federal prison and during that time her parents died, her children were adopted, her family turned their backs, her friends moved on.

As her release date drew near, she realized that she had nowhere to go. Hearing about the Wingard Home she made a phone call, submitted an application and a week later was standing on the doorsteps of the Wingard Home — barefoot.

Charlotte stepped outside to meet her and seeing that she had no shoes, took her own off and gave them to her. It would become a symbolic moment. “I’ll never get rid of them,” said Jamie. “I felt just like Dorothy, ‘there’s no place like home.’”

For Jamie they were a perfect fit, the shoes and the friendship.

She counts herself lucky to still feel emotions.

“The greatest punishment in prison is the separation from those you love,” Jamie said.
She has since reconnected with a sister and her children.

Living at the Wingard Home is no free ride. There’s a background check and rules to follow and everyone is given 7-10 days to find a job. Saturday is work day around the house and residents attend church on Sunday.

“Lazy is my pet peeve,” Charlotte said. “You have to get them working. You can’t just lie around here and feel good about yourself.”

All residents are required to eat the same donated food and wear donated clothing.

Donations of money, food, clothing and furniture are gladly accepted. “Call us, we’ll pick it up,” Charlotte said. Volunteers to help with work projects and tutors for the children are also needed.

There is no charge to live at the Wingard Home but residents are expected to work, save money and learn to balance a budget. Residents may live at the home as long as necessary but after some time most are ready to step out on their own.

“It’s hard when they leave” Charlotte said. “It’s something I never get used to. I used to cry my eyes out, but you just have to toughen up. I try to make leaving positive for them. You have to give people an opportunity.”

Do they keep in touch?

“I let them do that if they want to,” said Charlotte. “A lot of people would like to forget about this time in their life, and I don’t dig into that sore — I let it heal.”

Jamie, now serving as the community liaison for the home, says she plans to stay a while.

“The first night here, when I put my head on the pillow, all I felt was peace,” she said. “I knew I was home.”

Jamie would like to be a part of the ministry and see it grow, to help others.

“The first part of my life was messed up,” she said. “I’d like to spend the next half for a good cause.”
***
For more information contact the Wingard Home at (601) 355-9589 or visit www.wingardhome.org.

TOOTHACHES...

For years my teeth have been sensitive and I’ve just become accustomed to flinching when I drink something cold.

Several months ago I went for my routine dental checkup and got a good report. Then about a month later, I noticed that I couldn’t drink extremely cold or hot liquids without pain. I made a mental note to go back to the dentist.

I woke in the middle of the night with about 16 teeth hurting and didn’t need that mental note. I headed straight to the dentist. After plenty of x-rays and poking and prodding, the cause of the pain was still not clear.

My family dentist sent me to a specialist who couldn’t see me for a week. I moaned all seven days, drank only room temperature water and wondered how something so little could cause so much pain.

Once at the specialist’s office it felt as if he was first touching my teeth with a cold piece of metal and then with a branding iron. I’m sure it was a high-tech test with a fancy name and it told him what he needed to know.

“You have an abscess under a veneer,” he said.

I knew that was not good. It sounded expensive and even more painful.

He said, “Do you have time for a root canal?”

Did I have a choice?

From that point it was like the dentist and hygienist were the pit crew. You know something is going to hurt when the dentist apologizes before he touches you. The shots in the roof of the mouth aren't fun, but soon I was numb and for the first in days, out of pain. I couldn’t feel my eyeball, but I wasn’t in pain.

The procedure didn’t disturb my veneer and I was out of there in less time than it takes to go to lunch.

Thank goodness for dentists.

IT'S NOT NAGGING, IT'S JUST A REMINDER...

Once you become a parent and get the taste of telling your children what to do, I don’t think you can stop – even if you want to. When our kids don’t do what we “suggest” and problems arise, it’s pretty hard to resist the “I told you so” thing.

My mother was “reminding” me to do things even after I had three teenage kids of my own. She even reminded me to say my prayers and drive safely.

Maybe it’s hereditary.

When the children were young they chaffed under what they called “constant nagging” and I told them that it was out of concern that I did it. After all, did they think I’d waste my time on someone I didn’t care about? They could benefit from my years of experience and the mistakes that I made – the ones my mother warned me about.

Now that they are grown, I generally don’t get into their business and the most reminding I do usually pertains to driving carefully and changing the oil.

My middle child, Cole and his family live in Fort Worth. He is 26 years old and has always been responsible. I never even had to tell him to take out the garbage - he was an all-around great kid. He has a good job, provides for his family, he’s a good husband and father. If he needs advice, he calls me.

So why do I think he needs to be reminded of anything?

Weather reports early last week predicted that Hurricane Ike would likely hit Texas and continue inland over Fort Worth. Even the name sounds like trouble – look at the misery Ike Turner gave Tina.

I resisted calling Cole for a couple of days.

He works for Halliburton, so I thought with the weather news that the company’s preparation for Ike had shifted into high gear in terms of taking care of the crews and land rigs.

Finally I hammered out an e-mail:

Cole,
I know you’re grown but as a mother I have to say this...

Have you been watching the hurricane?

According to weather reports the eye of the hurricane should be in Fort Worth by early Sunday morning and could be a Category 3 storm.

Don’t forget how bad Katrina was even in Jackson...three hours from the coast.

Your electricity will likely go out and you never know for how long.

You better stock up on water, batteries, gas and formula.

There’s going to be a lot of evacuees headed your way and grocery stores will probably run out of a lot of items.

There...I said it and I feel better.

Love, Mom

He hasn’t answered my e-mail but I’m sure he’s just busy.