I’m not a religious person but if I were I would readthis terribly sad story of the life and passing ofAlvin Thomas and think God has now welcomed his prodigal son home and weeps, not for him, but for us, who fail in the caring for our own…
Then, on March 14, Alvin changed clothes for the first time in
months, a hopeful sign, said Pete Nunnally, a diocese employee who
befriended Thomas. That day, Thomas helped the crew of volunteers shore
up the house. As they left, one of the volunteers promised she would
return with a can opener.Sometime that night, despite warnings scrawled on the door and
walls, death stopped on France Street for the Thomas family’s
first-born son. He left behind a small gray radio, airing a passionate
sermon to a small pile of clothes, some unopened canned goods and a
tattered mattress.