Interesting personalities, heart breaking stories, much like us.

You know, I love to write but I am finding this most difficult.  I think if I ever ended up writing the great American novel it would have to be a fairy tale because I don't like this reality stuff we are seeing this week.

For instance, one of the women told me this morning that she was being "exited" from the Center of Hope this Saturday.  I asked her what that meant and where would she go.  Her response was that she had no where to go.  When I asked her about family she said she had no family although she told Paulette that she didn't want to stay with her family.  I called her case worker and asked if she could at least stay with us through Monday and she returned my call saying that they would extend her stay until December 1st, a bit of a reprieve but then what?

I can't imagine what it must be like to know that in about two weeks you will be out on the street in the winter with no place to go and probably no money either.  That has to be absolutely terrifying and I feel so utterly helpless.   This person has told us that she is a graduate of Chapel Hill and has eight years in law.  Last year we had someone who gave Paulette entirely false information to put into her resume and when it was found out, it broke Paulette's heart because she had worked so hard to help this woman.  You honestly don't know what to believe but you know that you want to believe them.  We have heard from other women that the resident about to be exited pulls her hair out one strand at a time which has created a large bald spot.  Well, let me tell you, I would be pulling my hair out by the handfuls if I were in their shoes.

One of our women is 72 years old and is in touch with her daughter.  How do you let your 72 year old mother be homeless?  I'll admit, she is a bit contentious and hard to be around so maybe her family just through up their hands and gave up on her.  She says she is in touch with her daughter because I let her use my phone (hers was dead) to call.  She didn't reach her, wouldn't leave a message and insisted I delete the number from my call log and watched me do it!! 

One young woman had no pants that fit but came to church Sunday anyway trying to hide the open zipper with her too small blouse and a broken belt.  Jill bought her two pair.  She walks with a different cadence now, a little more confidence.   She never lost her smile.

One is in leukemia remission and very brave about it.  One has a beautiful voice and has "joined" the choir and is enjoying it immensely.  One has a daughter with a 2 and 4 year old that she was with last weekend.  She was worn out!  One enjoyed walking with me through the cemetery telling me how she was scared once as a kid into believing the dead would come out of their graves.  She is the same one who was an ice skater as a child and won trophies and taught her son how to skate so he could join an ice hockey team.  One is the Big Mama and has wonderful leadership qualities, leads with her sense of humor but tells it like it is.  One grew up in London and came to the states with her fiance who now as an ex-husband of 15 years still stalks her.  One is quiet and reserved and irons her clothes almost every evening for the next day.  She was sitting on the bench beside the spring Saturday afternoon enjoying the peace and quiet and the beauty of the leaves when I arrived talking with another and disturbed the quiet.  She laughingly forgave us! 

Like us, just ordinary people with extraordinary problems.