Two Men – Two Very Different Outcomes

There were two stories that came out yesterday that profoundly affected me and millions of others.

One was the passing of singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. The other was the story of the homeless DJ,Ted Williams, and his overnight transformation.

Rafferty had hits with "Baker Street", "Right down the line", and you might not know this but with Steelers Wheel "Stuck in the middle with you" in the 70's. He had been battling alcoholism for decades and lost that fight with liver failure in a Dorset, UK hospital. He was only 63. As a singer-songwriter this saddened me that a truly gifted voice had been lost in music.

Juxtapose that with Ted Williams, also an alcoholic, though recovered. An out of work homeless, DJ living on the streets, panhandling for a dollar here and there. He did this while holding a handwritten cardboard sign that read "I have a God given gift of voice, I'm an ex-radio announcer that has fallen on hard times, any help would be appreciated."

Those few who would stop and give a little were treated to what really was a God given gift of a rich , booming, baritone-bass voice.

Mr. Williams a recovered alcoholic, for two and a half years was scraggly looking and you probably didn't think that he would ever get off the streets.

Then a miracle happened. A reporter in Columbus, OH. got wind of Ted and went to interview him. What happened next is astounding. (See the interview here)

The video was posted on the web and got about 300 hits. By the next day it was over more than 4 million hits ! 4 Million!!

Before you know it Mr. Williams had job offers from Hawaii to Ireland. The NBA, ESPN and he appeared on numerous major television interview programs. A Columbus bank gave him $10,000, a new home and signed him as their voice and the offers just keep coming in.

I think the reason this man's plight exploded into the public's consciousness so profoundly is that we see people who have fallen on hard times, but we just keep looking ahead, eyes averted trying to ignore the pain of others.

Here we could see the human face and wanted to cheer this man who had recovered, but not quite been able to lift himself up. Millions, and I, are now hoping that his story can inspire and give hope to all who are struggling through whatever difficulty they may have in their lives.

I, for one, was uplifted beyond belief by the literally overnight change in his life in a positive way. You can leave your comments by scrolling down on this page.