DIFFERENT THIS YEAR * OPEN MIC & MORE * CHRISTMAS DINNER * Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter * Vol. 12 * December 19, 2011

THIS YEAR WILL

BE DIFFERENT                                                                                                   (A holiday story from the coffeeshop)

"This year will be different," she told me. "I'm going home for Christmas dinner and this year we'll get along - my mom and me."

It was Christmas morning and I was sitting in a coffeeshop listening to Hope talk about her plans for the day. She recalled that last year had been a disaster. She and her mom had fought about everything -- from her boyfriend to her belly button piercing, from her mom's male friend to her working in a bar.

I remembered last year vividly. Hope had left her house in tears -- and
ended up right here at this same table in this same coffeeshop.

"But this year," she said again, "this year will be different."

"Good luck," I said.

"Don't you believe me -- it will," Hope said.

"Actually I wasn't doubting you," I said. "I am a Tom, though, and those doubts do come naturally, you know as in Doubting Thomas."

She laughed. I waited a minute and then said I'd just been thinking.

"What I was thinking was how remarkable you are. Despite what happened last year, you are going to try again. You have such, well, hope."

We both laughed.

"I've met a lot of other young people right here who have that same
optimism," I said. "It's awesome. I wasn't doubting you. I was just thinking about some of them.

" I was thinking about Martin, for example. One year, I gave him a book called Christmas Magic. He is a young man who has almost nothing which he can call his own. At home, he does not have anyplace -- not even a corner -- which is his own. Even his few clothes are borrowed by other family members without asking and without return. Yet when Martin got the book, the first thing he told me was that he was going to take it home and show it to his family. Then he went from room to room in school showing off the book. He was 16 then, but he sounded like he was five (a good five!). He kept saying over and over: This is my book.

"I was thinking about Mae. You remember her. She lived across the street and she used to come to this coffeeshop several times a week. Then one day in early December she disappeared. A few weeks later she showed up onstage in a production of "Scrooge" at a theater near here. After the show I ran up and asked where she'd been. Her story made me want to cry. She told me that she was living in a downtown shelter. She and her mom had to move from their old place, but lacked enough "up front" money to move someplace else. It was then I noticed that she was carrying a plastic grocery bag -- inside were her few possessions. She had no home, yet she was continuing to inspire us with her acting.

"I was thinking about Angel's sister, who returned to school after an absence of nearly a year. She told me she'd been living on the street a lot. But she wanted to come back and finish school and get a job so she and Angel would be able to care care of their younger sister. I told her how impressed I was that she came back. I gave her a book and promised her that if she read it I would bring the author to class. She told me she hadn't read a book since third grade. But the promise of the author was enough to start her reading again. She read it -- and I got the author to come to class. She managed to finish school, too, and graduated this past summer.

"What's so remarkable about each of these young people is their faith in the future, their hope that there can be a better tomorrow. You have that, too. you know.

"Say, speaking of high school, have you done anything about going back and finishing?" I asked.

Hope laughed. "Oh Tom, you haven't changed, have you. You're still harassing me about school."

"Yep," I said, "and after that I intend to harass you about college. I want you to go into social work. Then a few Christmases from now, you can be the one sitting here in this coffeeshop listening to young people."

Hope laughed again, then pushed back her chair. "Hey, I gotta go now. Will you be here later -- say 10 pm or so."

"Sure," I said.

"Good, I'll be back to tell you what kind of day it was with my mom. And, I just might listen to your pitch about school." She got up and walked out into a bright Christmas day.

JOIN US FOR DINNER
ON CHRISTMAS DAY
You're invited to join us on Sunday, Dec. 25 for a Christmas Day Dinner. It's at noon. You're welcome to bring a dish to share, but that's not required. After dinner, we'll show the film "A Friend Indeed," the story of Bill Sackter and the coffeeshops. Our hours on Christmas Day: 10 am to 4 pm

OPEN MIC & MORE
COMING THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Dec. 21
7 pm Spoken Word Open Mic. (Readers & Writers Group meets at 6 pm.)

Thursday, Dec. 22
6 pm Art Night. 7 pm. Open Mic

Sunday, Dec. 25
Noon. Christmas Dinner. All are welcome.
2 pm: Showing of "A Friend Indeed: The Bill Sackter Story."

Tuesday, Dec. 27
6 pm. Live webcast of Tom's Guitar Show.
7 pm Book signing by Ray Davis.
8 pm: Music with singer/songwriters Geoff Turner and Ben Sturdevant.

Wednesday, Dec. 28
6 pm. Readers & Writers Group. 7 pm: Spoken Word

Thursday, Dec. 29
6 pm Artvaark (Art Night). 7 pm. Open Mic.

Sunday. Jan. 1
Noon. New Year's Dinner.
2 pm. Showing of original 'Bill' movie (1981).

Wednesday, Jan. 4
6 pm. Readers & Writers Group. 7 pm Spoken Word

Thursday, Jan. 5
6 pm Artvaark (Art Night). 7 pm. Open Mic

Friday, Jan. 6
4 pm. Chess Club
5 pm. Friday Night Jazz.

Saturday, Jan. 7
4:30 pm. Irish Sessions.
7 pm. Saturday Night Music with Mutiny in the Parlor.

Bill's Coffeeshop Newsletter is a virtual extension of Wild Bill's Coffeeshop and Uptown Bill's Coffee House. Published since 2000, the Newsletter is written by Tom Gilsenan, a former manager of Wild Bill's and now director of Uptown Bill's. You can write to him at tomgilsenan@gmail.com

Wild Bill's Coffeeshop is a project of the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. It has been a part of campus life in Iowa City for more than 35 years. Located in North Hall, the coffeeshop is open weekdays from 8 am. For more information, check the Friends of Bill's Coffeeshop page on Facebook. You can call the coffeeshop at (319) 335-1281. Donations to support the work of the coffeeshop may be sent to: Bill's Coffeeshop Fund, University of Iowa Foundation, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244. Contributions are tax deductible.

Uptown Bill's is the crosstown cousin of Wild Bill's. Now in its 11th year, it includes a bookstore, performance venue and other businesses in addition to a coffeeshop. Located at 730 S. Dubuque, Uptown Bill's is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am. For more information, check the Uptown Bill's website or Facebook page. You can call Uptown Bill's at (319) 339-0804. Donations to support the work of Uptown Bill's may be sent to: Extend the Dream Foundation, Uptown Bill's, 730 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA 52240. Contributions are tax deductible.

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In the spirit of Bill Sackter, Uptown Bill's strives to nurture and encourage a gathering place where people of all abilities are welcome. Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Watch us on You Tube: www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLEE41220297F8D82C

Visit our web page: www.uptownbills.org

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In the spirit of Bill Sackter, Uptown Bill's strives to nurture and encourage a gathering place where people of all abilities are welcome. Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Watch us on You Tube: www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLEE41220297F8D82C

Visit our web page: www.uptownbills.org