Edmond placed the last of the boxes into the moving van. Shutting the door, he hurried with excitement to the driver’s side of the van, opened the door, and climbed in. Turning the key in the ignition the motor whirled to life. Edmond shifted the gear into drive and off he was on his new journey to a little town called Hope.
While driving along the highway, he was thinking about the job he was leaving as a Social Case Worker. He was already missing the people he was leaving behind and yet he was excited about his new adventure. He had been on this job for over ten years and lately was feeling very burned out. He used to dream of helping the needs of the people in the community who were down on their luck and just needed someone to give them hope and help them get their feet back on the ground. However, over the last several years he was drowning in a sea of paperwork and red tape, which he never got to accomplish the dreams and goals that he had set out to accomplish when he graduated college and took this job as a social caseworker.
Edmond was a tall man with the build of an ex football player. He had red curly hair, eyes that were as blue as the sky. If you looked in them long enough it would seem that they would tell a story of long ago. Edmond had been born and raised in Chancellor. He always had a heart for the people of the town he grew up in. He graduated at the University of Chancellor with a degree in Psychology and Professional Counseling.
He landed his first job as a clinical caseworker down at the local social service office.
His friend Adam had moved to Hope many years ago to pursue a career in advertising. Adam had called him about a month ago and asked him if he would be interested in coming to hope and heading up the Ray of Light Foundation.
The Ray of Light Foundation was a newly organized Foundation chartered by a few of Hopes residences that had overcame the hardships of the hood, went on to colleges and earned their degrees and come back to give a ray of light back to the town of Hope.
After visiting with his friend Adam for a week and spending some of that time with the Ray of Light Foundation, Edmond decided that it was time for a career change and took the job offer.
He had some great ideas for getting the foundation organized. He was glad that he was given the opportunity. It was the opportunity that he has always longed for. In some way, it seemed impossible that his dream was closer to becoming reality. Fear and doubt tried to creep its way into his consciousness and wreak havoc with his confidence, but it did not take long to dismiss those thoughts with thoughts of great feats he could accomplish not only within the community but also within himself.
Edmond had been on the road for quiet sometime when he finally saw this sign that signaled Hope to be the next exit one mile ahead. His heart started to speed up as he pulled of the exit entering the town of Hope. Suddenly the silence was split with the sound of his cell phone ringing.
“Hello, this is Ed” he said answering the phone.
“Ed, this is Adam. Just thought I would call and see where you are at.”
“I just pulled off the exit ramp into Hope. I should be at your place in about fifteen minutes. Hope you have some good ole sweet tea waiting for me.”
“You bet” said Adam. “See you in a few”
As Edmond was hanging up the phone, he was thinking about Adams wife Jessica and what a great glass of homemade ice tea she made. He couldn’t wait to see his friends.
Adam met Jessica in the summer before their senior year in high school. It was love at first sight. You could not separate the two of them. Adam was a lanky young man with a dark complexion, dark hair and dark eyes that were enhanced by the no rim glasses that he wore. He and Edmond had been neighbors and the best of friends since they were in kindergarten. Adam was the head of the journalism club and also chess club. He had the brains of a genius and you always found his nose stuck in a book or in the middle of a chess game that was until Jessica come to town.
Jessica was the complete opposite of Adam. She was of a small stature, pale skin, blonde hair and eyes as green as an emerald. She was a very quiet girl, but once you got to know her you could see how intelligent she was and had a compassion for people that was unheard of. She volunteered her time at the New Light Harvest shelter for troubled youth. Then she met Adam and none of us could believe that she was able to get him to volunteer some of his time at the shelter also. After graduation, they both applied to the same university. Completing grad school they both moved to Hope where Adam accepted the current job he now has in a big advertising agency. Jessica took a mentor position at the Ray of Hope Foundation, which is where the idea to contact me came to be.
Edmond spotted Adams house immediately as he was turning onto Way Road. Adam and Jessica live in the second house on the right. Pulling into the driveway Edmond was welcomed by immaculate flowerbeds that were full of budding flowers of every color that you could think of. As he stepped out of his car, he was greeted with the smell of mimosa and honeysuckle. He stood there for a moment, took in a deep deep breath, and simply took in his surroundings for a moment. After all this would be his new home until he would be able to get a place of his own, until then Edmond would be staying in the garage apartment. Suddenly his thoughts were distracted by the sound of a door slamming and two familiar faces running towards him.
“Edmond, you are finally here. It is so good to see you. You have to come in and tell us all about your trip and I have that glass of ice tea waiting for you out on the covered porch”. Jessica was saying as she gave him a big hug. “Adam, grab Edmonds things and help him get them up to his place then you two hurry inside. We all have so much catching up to do”. Jessica scurried off and disappeared behind the door.
“Well, Ed come on and let’s get this stuff upstairs before the Ms. comes back and gives us the what for.” Adam said while shaking Edmonds hand then grabbing some bags out of the back of the van.
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