Anyone who knows me know that i believe Wednesdays to be a day when the elves of chaos rule the world. Any and all mayhem can happen and woe be the one who tries to ignore the signs, the very obvious signs.
Today… I think the elves forgot what day of the week it was. I know I am having serious issues with what day it, what day it was and what tommorrow is.
When i went to bed last night, i remembered that Colleen the Crossing Guard was bringing me oatmeal in the morning and that was a nice thing to look forward to. When I awoke, after a night of good sleep, with achy bones but a very warm head thanks to my new toque, I found TWO thermoses of tea! Colleen came and found me and told me that on of the school moms was dropping of a hot, cooked breakfast! So she decided to hold off on the oatmeal but had given me a tea. And yes… the breakfast did arrive, and it was awesome, and it made me cry as i carried it back to the tent. Tears of joy and tears of relief, that I had been seen, that someone, not a member of the congregation, but a complete stranger, who drove by the corner and saw the tent and saw the signs, two times a day for the past couple of days, and she wanted to do something, and it was to take the time out of what I am sure is a very busy time getting kids ready for school, and perhaps herself ready for work, and she cooked me breakfast.
And yes, I know what you are thinking… this doesn’t happen to “regular homeless people”. I have read that today in posts, people rightly questioning if my experience regarding care packages and gifts is what happens to other people living on the street, and I am sure the answer is no, but I hope the answer soon becomes yes.
As people who have offered me things in the past few days can tell you, I ask the question “Is that what you would do for a homeless person you saw on the street?” If the answer was no, I would refuse the gift, and explain why I ask the question. If the answer is yes, I take their gift with thanks.
I had a surprise visitor this morning that gave me the perfect care bag… toilet paper, tooth paste, toothbrush, batteries, face cloth, garbage bags and many other very useful items. If I were truly homeless, these would be a blessing. I will be dropping the bag off at CCWN, but will be keeping a few things for myself.
I forgot to mention yesterday that Mike the ByLaw Guy sought me out again in the afternoon, finding me at the FLeming Centre. He had a name and phone number for me, for the Region Niagara Assertive Street Outreach. He said normally they would come to me, but as this was an exercise, I should give them a call. So call I did. Spoke with Ryan and asked him what the process would have been if he came to see me. He explained a process very similar to Community Care West Niagara at the start and then walked me through what the steps were for finding housing etc. When I asked how long this would take, he said it wasn’t instant but would take some time and what I asked how quickly he could find room in a shelter for me, he said immediately. I didn’t want to argue, maybe I should have, but having seen the number of homeless people in St. Catharines, and that is where he would have to take me, I doubted he could get me a space every night until all the other tasks were complete and forms were signed and a landlord found and I got all moved in.
I didn’t walk as many steps today, didn’t challenge any authorities - oh, except for the post I made on Facebook to Sam Oosterhoff for not coming to chat with me - and I didn’t see what things I could find to improve my situation Instead I spent some time talking to Rev. Jane about Sunday’s service, at which I will be answering questions about this week, and then I went to my regular table at the Fleming Centre, and was back at the Church in time for the Wednesday at One Scripture Study Group where I answered questions and shared stories. It was a great experience for everyone - I think, I know I was feeling happy and energized when I left, and although I accepted each person’s money when offered, I felt bad that it was needed. (Any left over money will go towards buying a Christmas gift for our CCWN Family). So needing to walk a bit an recenter myself, i took the long way back to the Fleming Centre and spent time answering Facebook comments (there are soooo many now), adding a new pot to poke at the local MPP, and then had a visit from a friend with a pair of hiking boots for my aching feet! I also spent some time with my Mentor, who always boosts my spirit as we talk about everything in the world.
Then it was time to head back to the tent, grab my umbrella, and get some supper. Shawarma for the first time… it was great, very filing, but with just the amount of protein i was looking for.
Very glad I grabbed my umbrella, I hear the rain coming down and it doesn’t sound like the friendly type. Let’s hope the tent, the tarps and my crossed fingers make getting through the night a possibility. Especially as I need to wake up early for a radio interview at 7:50 in the morning on 610 am radio. I’ll need to study my notes, it’s a live interview. If anyone out there could tape (what an old word) the interview for me, I would appreciate it!
Tomorrow has a surprise or two planned, stay tuned, and as always, thank you very much for your support.
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