All Praises Due to God

All praises foremost, to God, and then to Street Sense.
My name is Lester L. Benjamin and I am a Street Sense vendor (#486). I am from Smithfield, NC, born
and raised. I moved here to Washington, DC in 2012 with a very special friend. But, through my used-to-be-way-of-life, it has been hard for me to find a job. By the grace of God, I am now able to eat and at least live without stealing and committing crimes. I would like to thank each and every person that blesses me by purchasing the Street Sense newspaper from me. It has been a blessing for me regardless of all of the pain and misery that I have endured. On February 4 of this year, I lost a very special part of my life, my one and only son. Travis Dontrell Johnson died at the age of 22 from an enlarged heart. I am hurting so bad. It is extremely hard for me to deal with. Sometimes I want to take my own life, just to see if he’s okay, but I can’t. God makes no mistakes and he will not put any pain or suffering on anyone that cannot bear it. However, again, my one and only son didn’t leave me hanging be- cause he left me a beautiful granddaughter  named Katrina Destiny Johnson. She just turned one on June 23. God bless you all, Street Sense, and thank you for at least giving me a chance. I can’t forget a very special friend, Larry, who introduced me to Street Sense. God bless you all and again, thank you so dearly.