Behold A Door
When I was a kid growing up in rural Georgia, we didn’t give much thought to locking the door to our house. Or our car. Or anything. There was just no need.
I don’t need to tell you that times have changed.
Everywhere in America now, doors are locked, barred, dead-bolted, reinforced. An immense industry is devoted to ensuring they are unbreakable, impenetrable, and discouraging to any who would seek to enter without an invitation.
I was thinking about this—this dichotomy of doors—as I looked out over a sea of faces, 150 of them. Young teens who had come to play in Street2Street’s 2024 Paterson League. To get here, every one of them passed over a threshold from darkness to light. They came in from the shadows, where gangs lurk, offering protection and a false promise of belonging, all very alluring to an innocent and frightened child. A way that seems right but ends in destruction and death.
Behold, a door.
Beyond the door, Tony Browne stood before the 150, instantly drawing their attention. His voice is booming, commanding respect, and yet somehow infused with the profound kindness that marks his life. Imposing, but gentle, and compelling.
“Welcome to Street2Street!” Tony said, “Welcome home.”
It was more than a greeting. It was the promise of a new beginning. “Once you walk into Street2Street,” Tony continued, “you’re in the family. Not just today, but for the rest of your life.”
And then he led the kids into an exercise. Not a physical exercise, but a soul exercise. He asked each kid to close their eyes. Where would you want to be in three years? In five? In ten? Envision the future you really want. Not the one where you just survive. Not the one where you go from tragedy to tragedy, living and reliving what others have told you is your legacy. Not that. Envision the future meant for you, one filled with purpose, hope, and endless possibilities. That future, Tony told each of the 150, begins now.
Behold, a door.
The strangest thing this is! In this troubled and harsh neighborhood, in these desperate and cynical times: a door without a lock. An open door. And through that door is hope and a future. And all who will, may come in.
