Whatever it Takes
- Jerry Nevins

I am responsible to do
"Whatever it Takes"
To carry the message of hope and wellness,
To People that have come to believe that,
They have little or no worth and no part,
When in reality,
There is a message not of illness but wellness,
That every man, woman adn child can and does have a,
Role in a life of wellness and recovery,
And for that I am responsible.

When the Clay Becomes Workable
- Jerry Nevins

When the clay becomes workable,
Then and only then,
Can we all become artists?
You know though, without
People like us here at MHSA that check the clay day in, day out,
It would not be known when
The window of opportunity has opened,
The clay has become workable and
The Teacher can appear.

It Does Matter
- Jerry Nevins

It doesn’t matter where
Our lives have taken us
It doesn’t matter how
Many bridges we have burned
There is still always something
To be learned.

It doesn’t matter how
Many forgotten successes we’ve had
It doesn’t matter how
Many times we’ve felt
Everything in life had gone bad.

It just doesn’t matter,
Today is today all day long
So, what can I say,
It does matter that
We can become teachable,
Where the lost become reachable
You see, with intensive services of MHSA
There is no doubt, help is on the way.

Thinking Outside of the Box
- Jerry Nevins

There is a new deal here in town,
It’s called M.H.S.A,
It’s about not doing things
The same old way.
We have this idea that really rocks,
It’s called, Thinking outside of the Box.

It’s about meeting people right
Where they are at and not
Doing today on what happened yesterday.
It’s about going to the streets and
Forming partnerships through intimate talks
We call this, Thinking outside of the Box.

The thing that happens is about honor,
Honoring their right to choices,
Choices of their own
Honoring their right to make decisions,
Decisions of their own,
Honoring their right to hear their own voices
Making their own choices
Yeah, this thing really rocks
This thing they call
Thinking Outside of the Box.

Today, I'm
- Jerry Nevins

Today, I’m many things,
Sometimes I take these things
For granted.

Today, I’m a rough stone,
Those things that I call things are
Facets that define my nature that are
Always in need of polishing, so, that
I can continue the transformation
Of becoming something of value and beauty.

Today, I’m the light that
Shines in my life, not from
My great power, but my willingness
To be patient and reflect.

I’m allowed to
Standstill and hurt while reflecting
The light to others until
It’s time to go on,
Remembering I’m.

The Other Side of the Desk
- Author Unknown

Have you thought just a wee little bit,
Of how it would seem to be a misfit,
And how you would feel if you had to sit
On the other side of the desk?

Have you looked at the man who seemed a bum,
As he sat before you, nervous- dumb –
And thought of the courage it took to come
To the other side of the desk?

Have you thought of his dreams gone astray,
Of the hard real facts of his everyday,
Of the thing in his life that make him stay
On the other side of the desk?

Have you thought to yourself, “It could be I,
If the good thing of life had passed me by,
And maybe I’d bluster and probably I’d lie,
From the other side of the desk?”

Did you make him feel he was full of greed,
Make him ashamed of his race or creed,
Or did you reach out to him in his hour of need
To the other side of the desk?

May God give us wisdom and lots of it?
And much compassion and plenty of grit,
So that we may be kinder to those who sit
On the other side of the desk?