I am fascinated by poverty.  I find it refreshing that many of the poor can live and be happy with much less.  I am also envious of them because of the hadith stating that the poor will enter Paradise before the rich.

This summer I had the honor of bumping into the Phoenix House.  I went there a few times to donate by dad’s books (of which there were hundreds).  As soon as I drove through the gate I felt the ease yet liveliness of this small community.  If a resident looked at you, it was usually coupled with a smile.  I went to the main office and the guy at the front desk was smiling from ear to ear.  “I just came to donate some books…”  I said a bit slowly.  “Wow! Thanks, this is truly generous of you,” the guy responded sincerely.  A bunch of guys came to see who I was and what I wanted.  Finally a Muslim man came and it turned out that he was a counselor.  He spoke to me in Arabic.  Everyone in the room seemed amazed.  A young woman passed by and she pointed at one of the books I had brought.  “I had a book like that, can I take this?”  The Muslim counselor approved her request.

The Phoenix House is not for the poor.  But it is a safe haven for those who made the wrong decisions in life…usually with drugs, alcohol, and small crime.  They hold classes and try to influence the residents to change their lives around and become valuable assets to their communities.  I can attest to the fact that the Phoenix House is very successful in their efforts.  The Muslim counselor introduced me to a young Muslim woman who was involved with drugs and also had a beautiful baby.  She was wearing the abayah (Muslim long dress) and a hijab when I met her.  She told me how the Phoenix House altered her life and I was truly impressed.  I returned the next day to bring her two of my favorite books and other small gifts.  It was refreshing to be in this environment…an environment that is really making a difference.

As much as I liked the environment, I also felt very different.  I could tell that most of the residents of the Phoenix House had a rough upbringing.  However, everyone–whether they had a shady past or not–was friendly and warm towards me.  I returned a few more times to bring books.  I didn’t even have to leave my car before a bunch of guys would walk out to help me carry the books out of the trunk.  They were really excited to see them and they already nicknamed me “The girl with the books”.  I told one of the guys that I really liked the environment of the Phoenix House, and he said, “Yea, we’re like a commune!  A huge family.”

May God place success into their efforts.