By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
(ANS) -- Diana Peterson-Lane was an addict.
Then she found Joy Junction-and Jesus.
 |
|
Diana
Peterson-Lane
|
If you’d asked Diana 10 years ago what lay ahead for her down the road
you would have gotten a pretty vague response. Diana said she didn’t think
she was worth any sort of future-good or bad.
She said, “It wasn't just because I couldn't shake my addiction. It was
because ... I truly believed I was a nobody and a nothing, so why would I
have any type of future.”However, that has all changed during Diana’s time at Joy Junction. Shelter staff, she said, “saw something in me that I had no clue was there.”
As a result, Diana said, her future is bright. “No illness or hard
times can make that view change. I have something for my children to be
proud of, and to be able to tell their friends when they talk about their
mom.”
RA- Rheumatoid Arthritis and a
Righteous Attitude
Considering the pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis with which she has
a constant battle, Diana’s energy and attitude are amazing.
Diana said, “I get asked things like, ‘Why aren't you on disability?’
and ‘How do you work all the time?’ I always have the same answer,
‘God.’”
Diana said if it wasn’t God’s will, then she wouldn’t be able to do her
job or deal with everything she has to daily.
She said, “The days that the pain is so bad ... I remember I am blessed
and that if I don't get up, I may never get up.”
While those times are rough for Diana, she said she likes to tell
people that while she has “RA,” the “RA” she likes to focus on is a
righteous attitude.
Diana said the way her life has evolved over the last few years is
proof positive of God’s intervention in her life.
Working to Help and Inform
Others
As a driver and volunteer coordinator for Joy Junction, Diana called
what she does “the best jobs in the world.”
Diana’s driving position means she is the first contact for a number of
our new shelter guests. She said she holds that dear, “because I was them
not too long ago. It helps not only keeps me grounded and remind me where
I came from, but lets me help make some of their fears fade away long
before we even get back to property.”
One of Diana’s fellow drivers, Liz Boniface, complimented her. She
said, “Diana is a hard worker, no matter what she may be going through.
She's always ready with a kind word for all of us, even when in pain she
always has a smile.”
On her two days a week as volunteer coordinator, Diana gets the
opportunity to give people a tour of Joy Junction and help them understand
what we’re all about.
She said, “We’re not just a homeless shelter but a place for people to
heal. (I aim to) break down the walls of misunderstanding that the
community may have of homelessness, and help show we are human beings just
like them.”
Resident Services Manager Joel Steen said he also appreciates Diana. “
I see her trying to do what is best for Joy Junction, even when her
medical condition makes it difficult for her. She also has a sense of
humor, vital in our work. She genuinely cares about our residents.”
Reflecting on her time at Joy Junction, Diana said it has helped make
her a productive, strong and loving person.
She continued, “How many people can say that they have a great support
system at work and in their private life? Well, I can. With the things I
have gone through with my family and my health I still stand tall, and I
don't stand alone.”
Diana said she is proud of what God has allowed her to accomplish and
thanks Him for all the blessings she's received.
“I know without Him and my family here at Joy Junction I would have
lost it a very long time ago, but instead of falling into a very deep
abyss, I prevail. ‘My peeps’ have helped me through some of my own trials
with their prayers and daily smiles.”
Diana has also helped us through some of our trials by making us smile.
Thanks Diana!
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar