"[Sometime back] the San Francisco Examiner carried the photograph of a sixtysevenyearold black man with a smile that went from ear to ear. The light coming from his eyes was extraordinary.

"The accompanying story told about this man who had been a longshoreman all his life and had retired at the age of sixtyfive. He was an alcoholic. He visited the same bar every day. One day he found that he was bored and decided to ask the universe for help. He didn't really expect an answer. However, he heard a little voice inside him saying that he should go out and buy a broom and a cart. There was no doubt in his mind that for the first time in his life he had heard God's voice. He was then instructed to spend each day sweeping the streets around Mission High School. He did just that, and he stoppe…