Jackie Scott & The Housewreckers

I usually go to Goodfellas in downtown Hampton every Tuesday.  It was there that I met Bobby...whom some would consider to be the "neighborhood" drunk.  I came to know Bobby, who by the way is a Vietnam vet, and looked forward to seeing him hanging around on the bench on my many returns to Goodfellas. 

Bobby loves Sam Cook and his favorite song is "A Change Is Gonna' Come".  I promised him that I would learn it and I did.  I didn't see Bobby for a couple of months and wondered where he was.  After leaving rehearsal one night I made my usual stop at Goodfellas open mike and I heard his voice across the street.  As I started to approach  I began singing....I was born by the river ..he jumped up and invited me to come and sit with him and a few of his buddies.  As always, I sang for and with him, going thru some of his old school favorites with his buddies Willie and TC. 

As I sat with them, I watched as they passed the bottle.  Each took their turn and passed it around until it was their turn again.  When they smoked a cigarette they practiced the same ritual.  It was in this that I made a very powerful observation.  I've heard it said that there is good in the worst of us and bad in the best of us.  In a time and place where some would consider them to be at the bottom, I find them to be a lot closer to the top than most.   

It's just the strangest thing that we tend to share more often when we have the least.  Let us learn to share of our time and talents to encourage others to be the best they can be.   I spent about 2 hrs. sitting on the bench that night just laughing and singing and enjoying a couple of people who had their own stories to tell  and their own songs to sing...I guess they just wanted somebody to share them with.   These picture tells the story.....