Countdown to Homelessness...Day 6

A Day that Starts in Terror, Ends in Triumph

(a partial account of my day yesterday...)

A couple of people wanted to know if I'd gotten help at United Way.

United Way? Nothing new, but I'm not done pushing those buttons yet. I find you get different information from different operators -- maybe some of them have more experience, just like anywhere else. I think that, like me, people think that the United Way is a place you can go to, but it's just a big switchboard with some people who know a lot and some who don't yet.

But the real low-down came from the Family Place, whom a friend and reporter emailed me this morning.... As it happens, I accidently emailed the program developer, (but you know there are no accidents!) and she emailed me back right away. "Call me." She'd read my blog by the time I called.

We spoke for about 40 minutes. First of all, she immediately calmed me with her warmth. She was patient and kind but also really honest. She walked me though the whole process of how things work. She told me to that the new breed of clients they were seeing were 'the you's and the me's" and that, yes, it would be hard on my son.

Then she told me that one of their counselors had been homeless for years with 8 children. After that, I actually WANTED to go there, if nothing else but to meet these amazing women.... And I know that if the program director and I got together, we could really make some waves for change.

Then I called the bank, and they said, well of course you can have your checking account back!... My new banker said, Everybody's had money problems in their lives, and if they say they never have, they're lying... This was another one of those angel kisses, like having my traffic ticket dismissed last week, since they had ever reason to say no. But when I asked about repaying the money I owed them, she said, 'What money? No, you are in good standing with us..." We accept the gift and don't question the giver... and so I've got a PayPal button tonight on the web.

My car, which needs a new alternator, will get fixed tomorrow thanks to the donations of two women and one man...and my willingness to overcome my shame and ask.

Emailing the blog to my friends and family email list (which I had not done up to this point) provoked two of the most vicious letters I've ever gotten--one from a good friend and another from a tried and true enemy. And here is the amazing part--they didn't weaken me-- they strengthened my resolve.

Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.

— Albert Einstein

So, a day that started out in abject terror, ended in triumph. I could not have done it without your encouragement.

Copyright 2009 Stephanie Ericsson All Rights Reserved