She Needs Your Help

Last week, I had to find a way to provide a family member with all the basic essentials of life. She had nothing but a bed, a couch and a few personal belongings. It is a very long story that I will not tell except to say that her situation is of no fault of her own and I would not wish it upon anyone. Helping her was a necessity. It reminded me of how blessed I am to have a roof over my head and food to eat. It reminded me of others who are in similar situations of desperation as my family member. It reminded me of Cheryl, a fellow blogger who just needs a job to turn things around. Sounds easy, but it isn’t.

I know I have stood on this soap box a few times already, but it’s my soap box. You can simply turn the page if you wish…

 We are not all given the same opportunities.

We are not all blessed with families that are willing or able to help us.

We are not all blessed with healthy bodies or healthy minds.

We are not all blessed with minimal disasters that fall upon us.

We are not all fortunate to succeed from our hard work. Some work harder than us and get half as far.

We are not all able to work.

Some of us struggle every day just to eat, pay a bill, keep our sanity or find even one small fragment of hope to carry on.

 I am asking that you really think about how you will be inconvenienced if you were to give a small amount to someone who is at risk of losing their home. If I can leave myself short to reach out to another, then believe me…so can you.

When you truly give, you look into your heart, not your bank book.

I hope you will look into your heart to help my fellow blogger and friend.

http://allbuthomeless.wordpress.com/

You can also check out her web design services at

http://deesebydesign.weebly.com/

Journey of Empathy

Not all passages are smooth

And some have traveled long

On winding, washed out trails

That led to nowhere

It takes so little

To pave their stony path

Tiny offerings of hope and comfort

Can burnish a bumpy road

http://allbuthomeless.wordpress.com/

50 Things I’ve Learned in 50 Years…..#14

#14.  “I’d rather be taken advantage of once in awhile than have a closed heart.”

Random thoughts…

~When you give to another and they deceive you, it can hurt beyond words. The only thing worse is the nothingness you feel when you don’t give at all.

~I honestly believe that to truly give, it has to leave you without something, at least for awhile. Something may be returned to you or it may not. It shouldn’t matter, if you gave for the right reasons.

~I was never a risk taker in my younger years. No way. I used my shyness as a wall. It protected me from disappointment, failure and rejection. Unfortunately, it also isolated me from life. It prevented me from finding out what COULD happen and what I could MAKE happen.  I eventually chipped away at the wall, taking the last of it out with some good swift kicks, finally breaking free ! On the other side of the wall, I was vulnerable. You have to be vulnerable in order to grow.

~Opening your heart is really a personal choice. All I can say is that the odd times I have been taken advantage of  are small price to pay for the friendship, gratitude and personal reward I have received from reaching out.

~If I based my willingness to be open and generous on some of my past experiences, I could easily decide to hold everything I have and everything I am very close to my heart. That would be a burden. I would rather liberate myself from  bitterness, suspicion and doubt. It feels good to lighten the load

…and simply give.

Reach In and Reach Out

Hand me a soap box

I’ve something to say

If you don’t want to help me

Push a button today

Like, share or follow

It is easy to do

There’s no obligation

Wrapped around you

But if you can find

The light in your heart

A voice without judgement

That says, “Do your part”

Act solely on kindness

Release any doubt

Place hope in another

Reach in and reach out

This is not my usual style of poetry, but at this point I would tap dance (terribly) on a soap box if it would generate any response. Actually, I am sure I would fall off and land on my patootie. Maybe not the response I was looking for.

Seriously….

I am moved each day by the financial struggle of a fellow blogger, a very nice lady named Cheryl (“Hot Southern Mess”) Yes I know, my last post was dedicated to her as well but I am one stubborn Canadian gal on a mission.

Please take the time to read her story at  http://allbuthomeless.wordpress.com/

She holds nothing back, beginning with her “Intro” page.  She is not asking for a miracle but one could happen right here.

Please share her story if you are unable or willing to assist her in any other way.

Thank you for listening.

Bless you for caring.

~Mish~

Helping Hot Southern Mess

After reading about the desperate needs of one of my favourite bloggers, Hot Southern Mess regarding her financial situation, I have not been able to ignore her story.

As I carry on with my own life, my mind wanders back to her with concern and questions, the biggest one being “How can I help?” or better yet “How can MORE people help?” because she needs a lot more help than I can give her.

You can read more about her circumstances at http://allbuthomeless.wordpress.com/

You can email her at allbuthomeless@gmail.com

Her regular blog is http://hotsouthernmess.wordpress.com/

When you’re in a financial bind, it is optimistic to think somehow everything will work out. The reality is that in many cases, things only get worse for various reasons out of our control.  Sometimes, no matter what you try to do, there is no way you can stay afloat without the help of others. I can totally understand how this can happen. It happens every day.

Can you imagine going from what you have now, a roof over your head (no matter how fancy), to having to sell anything of value because you need to pay your bills?  It helps but still is not enough to keep you from losing your home. It seems so hopeless. Family can only help to a point or perhaps do not fully understand what you are going through.

You make a radical, brave move that was totally unthinkable until you were looking at the street and wondering where you would sleep. You reach out to total strangers for the smallest gesture and hope that all of these small wonders will add up to the difference between staying in your home or being a homeless family.

If I hadn’t already connected to such a sincere , warm soul and already had my opinion of who I sincerely believe her to be, I would not be writing this post. I believe she is a good person who happens to be in a bad situation. It is my opinion.

Recently, I responded to a post entitled “Past, Present and Future Reside, a poem.” by Jennifer at  http://writingsofamrs.wordpress.com/ , a blog I happily follow.  The subject was about how we as individuals can use our passion to take action and contribute to meaningful change.  We can do this by being a part of addressing social issues, protecting our children, reducing stigmas, or just by reaching out to a single person in need.  The ways we can help are limitless. Small miracles can happen when many people pool their resources together. This could be the case for Hot Southern Mess.

SO…I need to practice what I preach. After mulling over different options to help, I decided to send her a gift card.

I am not in a great financial place in my life considering my age, but I have a home, I never go hungry, I manage to pay my bills and I sleep in a warm bed every night counting my blessings. To think of losing that is terrifying, so I can only imagine the stress that Hot Southern Mess and her husband face daily. At the same time, she still manages to find a kind word or inspiring thought to share with her readers. I find that amazing.

This isn’t about moving mountains. This is about giving a nice lady a small gesture from your heart. It might equal to what you paid for Starbucks this week or it might be more. It all adds up. It could add up to keeping a roof over her head. Imagine that!

Am I taking a risk on a lady I have never met?

Maybe.

Do I care?

No, because I’d rather lose a little than see her lose so much.

“There should be no scrutiny in generosity. It should only involve our hands and our heart.”

~Mishunderstood~