Living in a Hotel Room, The Holidays

If you are homeless and have opened this hoping to have answers

I can attest that

You have the answers

You are the answer

Being homeless does not make you a failure

Homelessness doesn't mean you aren't loved

This is a time of rebuilding

Please don't give up

Not until Pigs Fly!

Good afternoon, you probably will not get to read this until after the most recent holiday is long past, but in case the one thing you have left is internet access after the giant F-bomb* went off in your life, I intend to give you encouragement during any holiday that once meant home and family to you.

*That is not the four letter F-word that immediately comes to mind, it is the F-word that can make the burliest, or richest man sweat bullets, and even put one in his head.

F-bomb is the Financial Bomb.It is a Financial disaster. There is no bail-out on a personal level. The real bankruptcy relief comes only to those who can afford it. I personally know the fallout from an F-bomb.

• get the flu
• car stolen
• lose job
• spouse leaves
• financial/corporate theft
• natural disaster
• man made disaster
• mental problems
• stress
• death of spouse

The next thing happens is a person needs an F-Bomb Squad for individuals, but there is rarely one there. Some people are blessed to have a kind and caring support system, who support each other during crisis.

Most do not.

It is not that they don't have people who love them, they don't have people who can support themselves, let alone add another person.or family. Many family members who end up missing and homeless in strange cities do so out of shame. I have experienced those feelings of shame that kept me cold and alone for several years.

Since your Christmas is not stockings hung by the chimney with care. There are other things to take stock of.

1. You are alive,
2. Cold, hungry, crowded,
3. Stinking, hot, pissed and
4. Having a hard time connecting a benevolent Christ, and his Followers
5. Who are supposed to care about
6. What has befallen you.

You have made your way to a hotel room, you are a survivor. You will make the very best with what you have. The circumstances will cause an inner strength to come from you, that you did not know was there.

During this holiday try to remember the laughter that comes any way.

Find hope, strength and joy in every positive thing. Try to look at the negative that is happening and make it a game, then twist it, Think of what the benefits may come from this time of desolation..

The battle is mainly fought in the mind.

You can do this...

When I become a true publishing professional I will make a video of people saying, "when pigs fly.." then their favorite impossibility.

The ones who really mean it...

...those who are "Really Sorry" for your troubles:

• Not the Government Employee who is barely holding on to her job, who lost your paperwork and your case has to be started from scratch four months later.

• Not the Employment Security offices who made a mistake on your initial application and make you wait 18 months for relief.

• Not the Government who says it is the Home of the Brave and Land of the Free that has held The Indigenous People as property and slaves for over 200 years.

None of these things are fair.

They have, and do cause great harm, and it happens every day.

It is not fair.

But, life is worth living. It is easier to deal with the "sorry for the inconvenience" even when it was that "inconvenience " that caused the first domino to hit the second and now your whole life is upside down. Then you can move past life's unbalanced scales.

Life is not fair and it is not standard practice for pigs to fly.

It is easier to deal with when unfair things happen to "them" or others when we finally realize these truths.

The Fullers were a true Christian couple, who made it their life work to eliminate poverty housing.

The need for children to grow up in a safe home, parents need to have a home that is affordable and safe. These were needs that prompted the Fullers to start Habitat for Humanity.

The Fullers were a wealthy couple who sold everything to end poverty housing. Jimmy and Rose Carter came on board, and are the ones given the credit for starting Habitat. They wanted to end poverty housing for everyone, world wide.

Having gone from sleeping behind trashcans in alleys , to a tent in a 100 year blizzard , to a half-way house, then hotels, motels and roach coach inn's, Lilly realizes there are many stages of homelessness and/or poverty housing.

I read recent research where those who crunch numbers argue whether or not living in a hotel or motel is being homeless. I suggest the number crunchers go for about nine months of the next year trying it out, Whatever they decide afterwards is fine with me.

Some people live in structures which are considered homes but they are below a standard that is acceptable for healthful and hopeful living. Many cannot afford to keep the utilities on. Some don't have running water, broken pipes , deadly furnaces.

Poverty housing, is when people are living in a way that is detrimental to their well being.

Can believe pigs fly...

I have been thinking for a couple of months how to reach out to others like myself; brothers and sisters who are out there homeless on the streets or staying in someone's shed. It has been hard on my mind, to weave some good words together for the rest of your journey.

Keep in mind this is indeed a journey. That sounds corny I know it but corny does not equal ineffective. Indeed it means that this journey is not a virtual or fictional trek but real hands on. This means, tomorrow and the next day will be different. Often the next day isn't "better" but it is different. I think of peeling the label off of a jar, it can take a lot of time, sometimes it is ugly and messy, but there is change.

Always hold on one more day, one more hour, one more minute, 15 more seconds,

Breathe. Remember to keep taking those very deep breaths. It does help.

Expect things to get better. 50% of the time it does 50% of the time it doesn't, but every day changes. Every minute changes the universe.

There are many people who think harmful and negative toward the homeless. When pigs fly they might not...but the main thing is it doesn't matter what they think.

When you are in a bad situation, there is always something to learn. It may seem impossible, but counting blessings is a positive way to make a shift in the darkness and hopelessness.

Hold on one more day, one more hour, one more minute, 15 more seconds

Dec. 24, 2010 ©Copyright DiverSe Feat LB3, "When Pigs Fly"

Poverty. Today, if a person were to scream

1. Terrorist bombs, or
2. Poverty, poor people,

The one would go to jail faster, and rub more nerves raw, would be the poor talk stuff.