Father to the Fatherless

Today's theme has been fatherlessness.

Our speakers today at Rotary were representatives of Stepping Stones, a private, non-profit organization with a mission to teach young people with children how to be families. Teenage or young adult women and their children are housed for 18 months while they learn to budget, cook, and complete their GEDs. Stepping Stones has a 52% succcess rate, which we were told is very commendable for such a program.

The question was raised: what services are available to young Dads? The gentleman who asked was concerned that such services be available not only to women but also men. The sad reply - a statistic. One out of every forty women referred to Stepping Stones still has the father of her child involved in the life of the family. Where are all the Dads? Why is it that the woman, who cannot escape being a parent, is the one who is most generally left alone with a child when it is conceived out-of-wedlock?

Nine-year-old Hasani Houston knows where his Dad is. He was abandoned, but not in the way I have been writing about. Hasani's father was a port authority cop was in a WTC tower on 9/11, five years ago. After 9/11 Hasani's mother moved his family from Northern New Jersey to Manhattan. There the family receives good support from organizations formed for just such a purpose - to help families of 9/11 victims.

Psalms 68.4-6
4 Sing to God, sing praise to his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds [a]—
his name is the LORD—
and rejoice before him.

5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.

6 God sets the lonely in families, [b]
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Darlene Zschech' "Glory to the King" was playing as I headed home from work tonight. These are the lyrics to the chorus:

You're a Father
To the fatherless,
The answer to my dreams.
I see You crowned
In righteousness.
We cry glory to the King.
Comforter to the lonely,
The lifter of my head.
I see You veiled in majesty,
We cry glory, glory,
We cry glory to the King.

What beautiful thoughts. My God is the one who is "a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows" and "sets the lonely in families."

Hasani Houston was greatly blessed by a mentor he found through Tuesday's Children (TC) - the aforementioned outreach program. TC paired Hasani with a 30-year-old banker living in Manahattan. For a year and a half their lives have become irreversibly linked. They shoot hoops, go to sports events and just hang out together. One day not long ago it became evident to David Herzoff that the friendship he and Hasani share is very special. It was a colder day, much like today. It was a little too cold to be outside, but Hasani wanted to learn how to ride a bike. David came in shorts and a t-shirts so was trying to sell Hasani on an indoor activity when Hasani disappeared for a few minutes. He reemerged with a windbreaker for David to wear. It was Hasani's father's windbreaker. David asked whether Hasani minded if he wore the shirt and Hasani insisted he did not mind. So they left for the street. David held Hasani's seat while walking beside the bike but couldn't help but think the two of them weren't the only ones there. Katie Couric (yes, hooked on the new Evening News) asked Hasani whether having David helped, even if just a little, to fill the void left by his Dad's death. "Having David helps a lot!" Hasani said. See the full story here.

Thank God for keeping God's promises.