My Commitment to Peace: And Yet They Rise

By Rev. Dorothy Wellington

Thank you for the opportunity to submit an article on our commitment to Peace.

I am an ordained minister and a 1995 graduate of Grand Canyon University. I have been involved in reaching out to hurting people and inspirational teaching since 1980. I have spent 15 years as a therapist for those suffering from depression, anxiety, grief and loss, personal development and troubled couple relationships. Over the years I have conducted numerous workshops, seminars and special speaking engagements. I am the author of eight small and powerful books that help people to be healed from life's painful events and to teach people how to be in-spirit with God and live in our physical Universe. I have been the founding pastor of a church in west Phoenix in the early 90's for five years and today I'm the inspirational teacher, pastor and director for a poor and homeless community outreach meeting in parks in central Phoenix. 

I have a strong passion to empower the poor and homeless to have love, respect and dignity for themselves and to also forward those attributes to others. When they care about themselves, they will stop hurting each other and the general public with crimes, domestic violence, and anger. As society has discriminated against them, they also must stop discriminating against society. The same harsh words spoken about them, those who are hurting have a tendency to speak the same hurting words about their accusers. Love works! As myself and volunteers continue to give them love and acceptance, they are beginning to have a desire to change and to reach their plans and goals. I wrote the poem below about how awesome the poor and homeless really are:

AND YET THEY RISE

Hollywood doesn't have anything on poor and homeless Super Stars. 
They have been beaten down in hardships and sufferings,
And Yet They Rise

They sleep in hidden bushes off the streets and yet at dawn, they rise.
They sleep in emergency overnight shelters on strange beds where
hundreds have slept and yet at dawn, they rise.

They were late in line for breakfast, found a line for lunch and missed dinner. 
The next morning you can hear the growling of an empty stomach,
And Yet They Rise to find the next line for a meal.

They have been hurt by rejection, sorrow and pain from family, love
relationships and friends. Some the fault of others and many hurts
caused by themselves, And Yet They Rise.

Everyday they war through loneliness, hopelessness and discrimination,
And Yet They Rise to endure the same. 
They suffer sickness, disease, mental illness and addictions,
all without consistent treatment to reach wellness,
And Yet They Rise.

They walk miles each day without a change in clothes and the same shoes
from last year, And Yet They Rise. 
They do a lot of stopping and going in tasks toward their plans and hopes. 
But more stopping than going, And Yet They Rise
to the next opportunity and failure.

They experience grief and sorrow from their peers on the street
who die year after year. They are people like themselves,
And Yet They Rise.

Broken promises, broken social services, broken politics,
And Yet They Rise.

Because it is the Light of God in them supporting their greatness to Rise,
a day will come when they will Rise and it will be a New Day,
A Day of Change and a Smile.

I pray the world to recognize this greatness in the poor and homeless. 
They are true Super Stars who Rise again and again.

Written by Rev. Dorothy Wellington

Rev. Dorothy Wellington
Home of Super Stars http://www.dorothywellingtonministries.com
P. O. Box 87413, Phoenix, AZ, 85080