Thoughts From A Mouthy Saint: Accepting the Gift of Impossible

Thoughts From A Mouthy Saint:  Accepting the Gift of Impossible
by: Colby Kluthe - MetroEast NEWS

Not so long ago I would have easily considered myself as highly skeptical regarding outcomes which by any humanly standard is simply not possible.  However, the more I look into my own observations I have come to understand that often what seems least likely is exactly what develops.

Now living in Joplin, the first illustration of this point is a place known as "Chicken Annie's".  A 250 seat restaurant which has served deep-fried chicken dinners for the past 75 years.   The Impossible of this place is that it is located on a country road in what is quite literally "nowhere".   And furthermore it is not located "on the way" to anywhere.  About the only way to find it is a lifetime of experience getting there.

"There is a Great Story about how this place came to be, but in the simplest of terms it was a belief that the impossible was the only option, reminding us to accept the impossible as not only the likely outcome but simply a matter of understanding it as more of a certainty. " 

For me I am learning to spend less time concerned about the "up to the minute" concerns and try to step back in each moment and understand the certainty of most things, so my small part is simply a declaration of what already will be.  And it shall be for my benefit not decidedly my preference.

Not very long ago, the impossible for the LGBT community would have easily included 5 years of a Main Street Pride festival in Belleville, or the City of St. Louis issuing a city pride flag.  Perhaps the most "impossible moment" I had to simply take in was in 2009 when I drove down Highway 159 into Belleville to find a large banner that spanned 50 feet or more stating boldly  "WORLD AIDS DAY" December 1st.

Even now in 2012, I have yet to fully digest such a bold action by the City of Belleville.  Bethany Place has invested in the "impossible" industry since 1988, and despite the fact they are rarely in the spotlight for what they do, they continue to serve 12 counties of Southern Illinois with HIV Care services.  I have witnessed Bethany Place carry on accepting that the impossible was the only option.


The "impossible" task facing us today is to ensure that everyone in St. Louis and Southern Illinois who needs care has access to the resources that save lives. Especially those who can hardly imagine the possibility.   
For someone who has grown up in a society that demands "self-sufficiency" it can prove a challenge to accept the impossible as a gift available to us simply because we are a valuable piece of all that will be.  There is nothing but certainty of that impossible gift.