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                             Mother Hale                                   
                                                                           
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             Clare Hale passed away in December of 1992                  
                             
                                                                           
   Many may mourn the passing of Clara Hale, better known as "Mother       
   Hale" but I find it hard to mourn while celebrating what she stood      
   for and her lifes accomplishments.                                      
                                                                           
   I had the pleasure of meeting Mother Hale many years ago before Hale    
   House caught the eye of the public and was viewed as simply a place     
   where "some little old lady was taking care of junkies children"!       
                                                                           
   I was throwing out some old children clothes and toys and someone       
   approached me and said that I should be ashamed for throwing out        
   this stuff and that I should donate it to Hale House, a few blocks      
   down the street.  I should have thanked the woman for this              
   information instead of feeling that she should mind her business.       
   My heart was touched when viewing the struggle going on a few short     
   blocks from where I lived.                                              
                                                                           
   Have you ever seen a baby going through withdrawal because of           
   his/her mother/father's addiction!  It's a baby that screams and        
   cries relentlessly.                                                     
                                                                           
   A friends daughters baby was born addicted and when she was at her      
   wits end I told her to take a break and I'd take care of the baby.      
   I did not know what I had volunteered to do! This tiny baby boy had     
   a pitch in his voice to qualify him for any choir and it was            
   constant.  I walked this baby around in circles in my apartment for     
   hours and only sleeping when he feel asleep from exhaustion.  Being     
   afraid to awaken him, when he feel asleep I would simply lay down       
   with him on my chest and we'd both sleep until the next awakening.      
   This went on for a while but each day got a little better.  I've        
   helped and have taken care of many children but that was the closest    
   I ever came to being a mother but I could not have been a Mother        
   Hale.  It boggles my mind to even consider a setting with more than     
   one child going through these changes but they didn't name her          
   "Mother Hale" for no reason.  This term of endearment was truly         
   earned.                                                                 
                                                                           
   We all joke about "it's a hard job but somebodies gotta do it" and      
   Mother Hale, while you read this from above, I want you to know that    
   someone had you in mind when they said, "may the work I've done,        
   speak for me" because I want you to know, said in the words of an       
   old gospel spiritual                                                    
                                                                           
                             "WELL DONE"!                                  
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