Eddie, this is a healing trip for me… shout out to alternative first responders..

Jdillon1161

If anyone can get a message to Eddie that would be amazing. I run a homeless shelter and outreach center in Massachusetts and I have been doing everything to get away to see PJ. I had tickets to Camden and got hit with a migraine while driving the 4 hours down. Suffered on the side of the road and ended up missing the show. I sat outside in the parking lot fir the last song, then went to my hotel..and drive back. Super sad. My husband is amazing and he kept encouraging me to “just go”…you need this… so I hoped a plane today and I’m staying in some crazy Airbnb. Here I am.  I can’t believe it. The last two years have been very difficult and PJ was how I got by. PJ and lots of prayers. We have been on the front lines and in the the trenches but we are not nurses or Drs. We are street outreach workers, social workers, directors, advocates for justice. Shout out to my front line workers noone sees. They are heroes. Working overnights, walking deep into the woods for outreach, getting Narcan out there, running syringe exchange…. Crazy stuff but we love it.  I would love it if he could shout out to the people in the trenches, the people in the darkness…still in the grind of this post pandemic nightmare we are still seeing, homelessness, relapse, confusion. I haven’t been to a PJ show in 30 years. I am going to try not to cry the whole time. This is a “release” a healing time, as we come out of the darkness of this pandemic and I feel like I can finally breath again. Release..!! Wish I could just give him a hug to say thank you for helping me get through this while we are helping all the wild eyed crazy Mary’s….. ❤️❤️❤️

BenToad

Someone does see all of you…you are seen by the people you have helped.  

 I have worked as a hospital porter for 20 years, (and was a patient before that), and durning that time have also felt unseen and not valued for my contribution by leadership and higher ranking co-workers.  Then after years of doing this wonderful work I started to get reminded of why I was doing it in the first place and who I was doing it for.  Patients that I had helped year’s previous, some I remembered and some I did not, would be back for a check up and they would tell me how much of a difference I had made to them by doing this or that durning one of the toughest times in their life.  That to me is more rewarding than any amount of money or accolade. 

  Now in doing this kind of work things undoubtedly get tough for us from time to time and one of the things that pull us through is music and listening to  the music of Pearl Jam is like that big hug we need right when we need it.
So Thank You to you and your coworkers for all your help to those that society and capitalism have forgotten.
When you get to your show close your eyes durning a favourite song and let the music wash over you and feel that giant hug from Pearl Jam.

Have fun and enjoy your show.