Brooke Duran

Throughout her experience with homelessness, Gloria learned an important lesson: you must be able to humble yourself. Gloria came to Atlanta Mission’s overnight shelter “Home Sweet Home” looking for answers—she had been a hard worker all her life, she also was determined, but she just hadn’t been able to take that next step in her journey to ending her story of sad homelessness. The team at Home Sweet Home works and worked together with each woman and child to address their unique and specific needs. Ultimately, for women like Gloria, the goal is to find a job that will provide a sustainable income that eventually leads to a humble housing. She says she was at Home Sweet Home for about two and a half years, and while at the shelter she joined the Atlanta Mission @Work program. Atlanta Mission @Work is an extension of Atlanta Mission that specializes specifically in workforce development for clients who are ready to take the next step in their journey of ending homelessness. The pro...

By: Virginia Allen The woman sitting down at the desk could have certainly had a better day. She pushed her large, black-rimmed glasses up her too flat nose once again (she had already repeated the action about a dozen to a million times; she had lost count long ago) as if that would help clear her mind, or fill it full of ideas, more like. She could have been doing about a million things, other than grow ditzy with her blank canvas of a mind, the more you observed her. She had frizzy brunette hair which she hadn’t bothered to run her aquamarine come through before she shoved it behind her ears, she obviously hadn’t finished washing off her makeup by the streak of mascara you saw smudged off her face in her sleep (as if she would ever), or her plain throw-on clothes of old sweats topped with a T-shirt that said “I’m not an old, I’m a classic.” Maybe she should find an escape in a story created by herself, she obviously needs it just by her mundane appearance. She was like “The Little...

Don’t Change By: Virginia Allen I was ready. I was so ready. I was more prepared than usual. I was more prepared for life, love, heartbreak, and disappointment, more so than any other ordinary, plain, monotonous day. Would that be a bad thing? Is that a bad thing? Was it a bad thing? (Give me a moment.) Like I said before, it was a dull mindset that never changed. I was always in anticipation of something big because who knew? Today had to be better than yesterday, I was constantly fantasizing. Always ambitious and always let down. I should really be used to this expectant verdict that my unchanging life held within Thomaston, Georgia. The most beautiful cerulean blue was my shade in the sky. The most aqua, and seemingly Irish shade of green was what my feet lie on in the grass. It was perfect. It was what people dreamed of, I assumed. Why wasn’t I counting my blessings? Maybe I got tired of the little cute rusty red-bricked houses too quickly. The forever seemingly forever green tree...

By: Virginia Allen I am known classically as the trickster god. Yes, sometimes I am mischievous, but I haven't really been malicious...that often. The giants are evil, but me, little innocent Loki, am only the son of a giant, and you don't always grow to be what your father was (just don't tell Thor or Odin). It seems my appointed job was to stir things up when things were going well. You're welcome. It's a type of action that one wishes to avert when telling an actor to break a leg before a performance. I'm a star. I'm a blessing in disguise. Honestly, I was disturbed by all the gaiety and decided to do something about it, so in disguise as a disgusting old hag, I traveled to Frigg while she was at Fensalir taking a break from the festivities, only for a little fun. "What is going on at Gladsheim?" I asked her. She said it was some happy celebration of the god Balder. I quickly asked, why, then, were people throwing weapons at him? Frigg exp...

Throughout her experience with homelessness, Gloria learned an important lesson: you must be able to humble yourself. Gloria came to Atlanta Mission’s overnight shelter “Home Sweet Home” looking for answers—she had been a hard worker all her life, she also was determined, but she just hadn’t been able to take that next step in her journey to ending her story of sad homelessness. The team at Home Sweet Home works and worked together with each woman and child to address their unique and specific needs. Ultimately, for women like Gloria, the goal is to find a job that will provide a sustainable income that eventually leads to a humble housing. She says she was at Home Sweet Home for about two and a half years, and while at the shelter she joined the Atlanta Mission @Work program. Atlanta Mission @Work is an extension of Atlanta Mission that specializes specifically in workforce development for clients who are ready to take the next step in their journey of ending homelessness. The p...

This past week, on Tuesday, I was listening to a talk given by Elder Richard G. Scott in the past and was impressed to write this. The talk was called " How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life " and it was given in April 2012. It spoke of personal revelation given through dreams. I was reminded of Lehi's dream of the tree of life (and it was Nephi's dream too, once he asked for it...it had to be done so humbly, I assume (I guess it has been too long since I have read the Book of Mormon...not that it is a bad thing that I am reading the Old Testament of the Bible right now!) (I should get the Book of Mormon started again awfully soon though...maybe today.) (Feeling and writing revelation that I am given.). I am also reminded of the dreams that Joseph had in Genesis 37-50, which is found in the Old Testament (and a musical--If you have heard of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", which is why I recall them--forgive me!) (He...

Crystal Clear By: Virginia Allen Leona Garth leaned forward expectantly. "How much longer...sir?" The man waiting at his desk looked up from not a long distance. He consulted his wrist timepiece as if he was a professional. "I can't say," he whispered as if his voice were joining with the wind outside. "Maybe another half hour. Ten minutes at my best guess--" He blinked at her before he returned to either disordering or straightening things in his bag. Leona was mute. She glanced at Frank's closed eyes. She could only barely tell that he was still breathing. This was enough to make her smile. She could barely describe the amount of time that it was taking to own her cousin's estate. It was taking so long. He must've been far bast eighty, for all that she knew. In her youth, she had shared fears of him living past her, the same as he lived past all of his other relatives. But presently-- "I have to go get water." The doctor's v...