Here's a great story of a man who fought his demons and won. David Abramski was a drug-addict living on the same block I once lived on but managed to turn his life around and is now the most popular bus driver in New York City. Congratulations David!
Meet New York City's most popular bus driver
By PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
NYC Transit bus driver David Abramski, formerly homeless, is recipient of award for being most popular driver.
David Abramski found redemption behind the wheel of a city bus.
For a decade, he begged for spare change outside stores and at subway stops to buy booze and drugs.
He scavenged garbage cans for food and slept in a homeless encampment in a train tunnel beneath Riverside Park.
Today, the 51-year-old is a dutiful civil servant, an NYC Transit bus driver who was just named one of the fleet's most popular operators.
"It's a great honor," he said. "I never expected it."
Last year, 21 riders - all unaware of Abramski's personal journey - wrote or called the agency to praise his good-natured treatment of passengers. No other bus driver got as many commendations.
Abramski "is so pleasant, he makes up for all the rude ones," one woman wrote. The praise prompted NYC Transit President Howard Roberts to give Abramski an award at the agency's headquarters.
Abramski, still remembered on the West Side by his street name "Hollywood," is soft-spoken but brims with youthful exuberance.
In the mid-'80s, Abramski was a 29-year-old bicycle messenger and musician with rock-star dreams. He lived in a single-room-occupancy hotel on 107th St. that charged $80 a week for a shared bathroom and kitchen.
The only child of strict parents, he rebelled early and often, he said. He started smoking marijuana at 14 and branched out from there to crack, which was then ravaging the city.
"That's a killer," he said. "I went downhill from there. Whatever savings I had - I think it was something like $600 - went like that."
He was soon evicted for nonpayment of rent and moved into Riverside Park, which teemed with the homeless, many of them drug addicts, alcoholics or mental patients.
After being caught in a police "scoop" of the homeless, Abramski went underground. A ventilation shaft in the park led to a freight tunnel and a concrete ledge 20 feet above the tracks.
"I was a mole person for a while," he said. "I made camp under there. We had a little community."
Daniel Entin, director of the small Nicholas Roerich Museum near the park, had many conversations with Abramski, who, he recalled, would discuss politics and spoke French with another employee.
"He was different than everybody else," Entin said. "You meet people on the street, and some are bitter and aggressive. He was always open and friendly, even loving with people."
The gap between the wayward son and his mother eventually narrowed a bit and, one day, he was invited to move back to her upper West Side home if he quit drugs. At age 40, Abramski was ready to change.
"I had finally hit my bottom," he said. "You couldn't go lower than living under Riverside Park in a tunnel."
A substance abuse program wasn't necessary, Abramski said, thanks to a series of harsh winters. He opted to spend weekends underground, surviving on stockpiled food - without drugs.
"I figured if I could live without it for a couple of days, I could do it," he said. "I could stop."
Turned down for several jobs, Abramski resumed working as a messenger. After about two years, NJTransit hired him as a part-time bus driver. A year later, he landed a job with NYC Transit, where he just marked his eighth year.
In June, Abramski married his girlfriend, Barbara Alice. The couple lives in Union City, N.J., with their dog.
"Now, I'm the boy my mother and father always wanted me to be," he said. "Nice and clean-cut, upstanding, with a job."
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Prayer for the Unemployed
O Saint Joseph, we pray to you for those who are out of work, for those who want to earn their living or support their families.
You who are the patron of workers, grant that unemployment may vanish from our ranks;
that all those who are ready to work may put their strength and abilities in serving their fellowmen and earn a just salary.
You are the patron of families, do not let those who have children to support and raise lack the necessary means.
Have pity on our brothers and sisters held down in unemployment and poverty because of sickness or social disorders.
Help our political leaders and captains of industry find new and just solutions.
May each and every one have the joy of contributing, according to his abilities, to the common prosperity by an honorable livelihood.
Grant that we may all share together in the abundant goods God has given us and that we may help underprivileged countries. Amen.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Letters to President Obama from Fourth Graders in Harlem
A teacher at my old school is blogging at the Huffington Post and posted letters to Barack Obama from her fourth graders. Having taught these kiddos as their reading teacher, I'm proud of them and miss them dearly. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Dear President Obama,
Dear President Obama,
I am so happy you are our new president! And it is not just because you are black, it is because you have some great ideas! And I wanted to be a singer, dancer, and actress but you open new doors for me. You open the doors for everybody. Now I think that now I can be the first female black president! And we went from black people not being able to vote and that changed and then black people never got a chance to be president but you changed that. And for that, it is like you are my and the whole world's hero!
Love (a 9 year old),
Tatiana
P.S. I won't put TV before homework.
Dear President Obama,
I want to say you are the bomb. I love all your speeches. Even my grandma does. I feel sorry for your grandmother but she's there up in heaven watching over you. When you get to the white house you will have our help.
I'm so happy that you are becoming president. Can you make a change about the cops? They need to pay more attention at the Lincoln Tunnel.
Write back.
Your friend,
Asia
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Law never trumps love
I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
-Dalai Lama
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
-Jesus in Matthew 7:12
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
-Dalai Lama
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
-Jesus in Matthew 7:12
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
And so it is
What happened tonight is incredible.
This is a great country and I hope Barack Obama will be a great President.
Pray for him.
God bless
How about the fact that there may be millions of children in the US who grow up with a Black President. And to them that'll be totally normal. That's pretty incredible.
God bless the next President (whoever that may turn out to be)!
God bless the next President (whoever that may turn out to be)!
Monday, November 3, 2008
My vote
[This probably sounds somewhat disjointed and lacks the substance I really wanted to include but I blame it on Saturday Night Live's Monday night programming.]
Tomorrow I am waking up at 6am, throwing on some sweats and heading to my polling site. I will vote.
My decision on who to vote for did not come easy this year.
I am a fan of John McCain. I've wanted him to win in the past and was hoping he would earn the Republican nomination this year. He did, but under a different persona. The McCain of 2000 was someone who the Republican Party wanted to see torn apart. The McCain of 2008 became the flag-bearer for his Party. The guy who rassled with the evangelical right in 2000, buddied up to them in 2008.
I was initially excited by John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin. I thought it was brilliant. And, in some ways, it was. She had a record of independent reform, incredible approval ratings in Alaska, and she's got charisma. Unfortunately, she turned out to be like any other politician - bending the truth on her record and a bit of a shady record on managing state employees. She also lacks the economic and foreign affairs knowledge I would hope a candidate for the office should hold.
During the Democratic primaries, I did not support Barack Obama. Unfortunately, I found out only after he cleared the last hurdles that I was a closet Hilary Clinton supporter all along. There are many issues where I disagree with Barack Obama - gay marriage (which I fully support and he does not), global warming, immigration, and Social Security. There's something in my gut that doesn't trust Obama - something about his inexperience and centrist babble. I think I'm actually more of a supporter of Joe Biden than I am of Barack Obama. Sure Joe says silly things every other day - but he knows his stuff and says what he means (even when he doesn't mean to do it).
In the end, my vote goes to someone I can't entirely 100% support - Barack Obama. But I give my vote with the hope that all the talk, all the hype, and all the expectation is something he can live up to.
At my school today I took a very informal poll asking, "Who do you think will win the Presidential election tomorrow?" as part of our Social Studies lesson on Election Day. Approximately 100 Kindergarteners and First Graders participated with the following results: Obama 53% - McCain 47%.
Tomorrow, remember to vote. Vote with hope. And then pray.
Tomorrow I am waking up at 6am, throwing on some sweats and heading to my polling site. I will vote.
My decision on who to vote for did not come easy this year.
I am a fan of John McCain. I've wanted him to win in the past and was hoping he would earn the Republican nomination this year. He did, but under a different persona. The McCain of 2000 was someone who the Republican Party wanted to see torn apart. The McCain of 2008 became the flag-bearer for his Party. The guy who rassled with the evangelical right in 2000, buddied up to them in 2008.
I was initially excited by John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin. I thought it was brilliant. And, in some ways, it was. She had a record of independent reform, incredible approval ratings in Alaska, and she's got charisma. Unfortunately, she turned out to be like any other politician - bending the truth on her record and a bit of a shady record on managing state employees. She also lacks the economic and foreign affairs knowledge I would hope a candidate for the office should hold.
During the Democratic primaries, I did not support Barack Obama. Unfortunately, I found out only after he cleared the last hurdles that I was a closet Hilary Clinton supporter all along. There are many issues where I disagree with Barack Obama - gay marriage (which I fully support and he does not), global warming, immigration, and Social Security. There's something in my gut that doesn't trust Obama - something about his inexperience and centrist babble. I think I'm actually more of a supporter of Joe Biden than I am of Barack Obama. Sure Joe says silly things every other day - but he knows his stuff and says what he means (even when he doesn't mean to do it).
In the end, my vote goes to someone I can't entirely 100% support - Barack Obama. But I give my vote with the hope that all the talk, all the hype, and all the expectation is something he can live up to.
At my school today I took a very informal poll asking, "Who do you think will win the Presidential election tomorrow?" as part of our Social Studies lesson on Election Day. Approximately 100 Kindergarteners and First Graders participated with the following results: Obama 53% - McCain 47%.
Tomorrow, remember to vote. Vote with hope. And then pray.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
New York's Holy Day
Today is one of New York City's Holy Days: Marathon Sunday.
Today, over 30,000 come from around the world to run 26.2 miles through every borough. World class champions and everyday first-timers are all out there at the same time, running the same race.
As they run down 4th Avenue in Brooklyn, they're introduced to churches, synagogues, mosques, and an international crowd that has no rival. The noise they will hear as they hit 1st Ave in Manhattan for the first time, will give them a boost of energy that will hopefully last 'till the end.
On Marathon Sunday almost 3 million New Yorkers and visitors hit the streets to support the runners. People from around the world and different faith backgrounds supporting runners from around the world and different faith backgrounds.
On Marathon Sunday, everyone is a New Yorker, and that's all that matters.
God bless New York City today.
Today, over 30,000 come from around the world to run 26.2 miles through every borough. World class champions and everyday first-timers are all out there at the same time, running the same race.
As they run down 4th Avenue in Brooklyn, they're introduced to churches, synagogues, mosques, and an international crowd that has no rival. The noise they will hear as they hit 1st Ave in Manhattan for the first time, will give them a boost of energy that will hopefully last 'till the end.
On Marathon Sunday almost 3 million New Yorkers and visitors hit the streets to support the runners. People from around the world and different faith backgrounds supporting runners from around the world and different faith backgrounds.
On Marathon Sunday, everyone is a New Yorker, and that's all that matters.
God bless New York City today.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Praying for those elected
George Weigel wrote a piece in the Denver Catholic Register suggesting that we pray for those elected. Please do.
Praying for those to be elected
There will be much to ponder, once this interminable electoral cycle comes to an end. Why has so much of the campaign seemed like a prolonged episode of “American Idol,” with candidates trying to sell their personal “narratives” rather than their ideas and policies? Why did Pastor Rick Warren, rather than talented, veteran journalists, raise the questions that many Americans would like to explore in considering their new president: questions of the candidates’ character, compassion, intellectual roots, and moral depth? What does the non-stop cable news cycle do to our national ability to pause and think seriously?
Earlier this year, at the height of the primary season, a senior producer in the network news business told me that, while a political junkie, she was appalled by what she had experienced within many campaigns: the carefully crafted, poll- and focus group-driven manipulation of the electorate’s emotions, in what amount to a variant on the sleazier forms of advertising. Isn’t there something more to running for president than appealing to consumer tastes? And then there’s the media’s own fixation with “gotcha,” which further fuels the vacuity of political conversation and debate.
Truth to tell, campaigns are rarely pretty, if you’re interested in ideas rather than spasms of feeling. 1960 is supposed to have been an exception—our age’s answer to Lincoln and Douglas—but few today remember that Kennedy and Nixon spent an inordinate amount of time during their debates arguing about two rocks off the China coast, Quemoy and Matsu. Still, these past two years seem, at the moment, to have been singularly devoid of a serious exchange of ideas, and singularly dominated by sound bites.
So, with the end in sight, let me suggest that it’s time to pray: to pray for the candidates, because whoever is inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2009, is facing a world of trouble; to pray for ourselves, that we refrain from tribal voting and make wise and prudent choices; and to pray for our country, that we grow up a bit more in the years ahead.
Read the article and the Litany of St. Thomas More here. And pray.
Praying for those to be elected
There will be much to ponder, once this interminable electoral cycle comes to an end. Why has so much of the campaign seemed like a prolonged episode of “American Idol,” with candidates trying to sell their personal “narratives” rather than their ideas and policies? Why did Pastor Rick Warren, rather than talented, veteran journalists, raise the questions that many Americans would like to explore in considering their new president: questions of the candidates’ character, compassion, intellectual roots, and moral depth? What does the non-stop cable news cycle do to our national ability to pause and think seriously?
Earlier this year, at the height of the primary season, a senior producer in the network news business told me that, while a political junkie, she was appalled by what she had experienced within many campaigns: the carefully crafted, poll- and focus group-driven manipulation of the electorate’s emotions, in what amount to a variant on the sleazier forms of advertising. Isn’t there something more to running for president than appealing to consumer tastes? And then there’s the media’s own fixation with “gotcha,” which further fuels the vacuity of political conversation and debate.
Truth to tell, campaigns are rarely pretty, if you’re interested in ideas rather than spasms of feeling. 1960 is supposed to have been an exception—our age’s answer to Lincoln and Douglas—but few today remember that Kennedy and Nixon spent an inordinate amount of time during their debates arguing about two rocks off the China coast, Quemoy and Matsu. Still, these past two years seem, at the moment, to have been singularly devoid of a serious exchange of ideas, and singularly dominated by sound bites.
So, with the end in sight, let me suggest that it’s time to pray: to pray for the candidates, because whoever is inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2009, is facing a world of trouble; to pray for ourselves, that we refrain from tribal voting and make wise and prudent choices; and to pray for our country, that we grow up a bit more in the years ahead.
Read the article and the Litany of St. Thomas More here. And pray.
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