IN YOUR OWN WORDS Pain, BE GONE! BY RAELENE JOHNSON, VOICE VENDOR FOR SO LONG GROWING UP, all Self felt was pain, misery, despair, and unhappiness. How does Self know to just let go, tell someone their pain, keep telling someone until someone can help Self? What about for kids, that don’t know they keep the pain going, lost, trapped? Self gets good at hiding their pain, masking all they went through. Over time, Self believes they can handle it – “the pain.” As Self gets older, drugs and alcohol will numb the pain, RAELENE JOHNSON. CREDIT: CORTNEY TABERNA and at first, it works. Self feels better with a little help! Self just doesn’t know what will happen over time to them until it is too late! Self will keep killing Self until Self lets go of what is holding them back. Deal with whatever Self went through or is still going through so Self can heal! Once healing happens, Self can start a better life. Freedom is the best gift Self can give Self, so, Self, let go of pain. Let pain be gone! Self, is worth it! ■ Subscribe online: NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! DENVERVOICE.ORG/SUBSCRIPTIONS Become a Denver VOICE subscriber and get the paper delivered directly to your mailbox every month. Both personal and business subscriptions are available. Your donation goes directly to support our program! Ask a VENDOR BY JOHN ALEXANDER, VOICE VENDOR The following is John’s response to this month’s Ask a Vendor question. Because there wasn’t room to fit his entire answer on page 4, we have published it in this section. The question was, “How would you respond if someone asked you, ‘If I donate to the Denver VOICE today, how will that money benefit you six months from now?’” IF I AM OR WERE TO EVER BE BLESSED to cross paths with a person wanting to donate the Denver VOICE, and their only requirement of me in exchange would be to give them some idea of how that money would benefit me six months later, I would start by sharing that their support enables the VOICE to accomplish things like paying for the lease for the office, the utilities, [the cost of printing] our papers, and the many, many other obligations that are constant. The fact being pointed out here is that your support, donations, and cash are gifts that keep on giving. For example, six months from now, I and many people like me will still be able to come to a sheltered place, buy papers, and maintain our business. We will still have a place to congregate with friends and seek help, counsel, etc. There will be many things and countless ways that I will benefit from any donations, six months or even six years from now. ■ JOHN ALEXANDER. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN 12 DENVER VOICE June 2021
13 Publizr Home