Reflections
I remember when I was a kid and people would say if you break a mirror that you would have seven years of bad luck. I think I spent a good part of my childhood trying not to ever break a mirror because I didn't want any bad luck at all, especially seven years.
I was thinking about that today, sometimes I just think of random things, that's me. But, I was reading a post from a friend on Facebook and she was saying that in spite of a rough year she had things to be thankful for. I was thinking that it is true first of all, that we all have things to be thankful for, and second of all if you only had one rough year you are very lucky or very young. She's lucky.
I was reflecting on my life and the rough years that I have had recently. It has been give or take a year or two about seven rough years. Years of more struggle then I could possibly imagine. But, each struggle taught me something about myself and it taught me something about the people who called themselves family, the ones who were blood related to me. I learned that when times get really hard and you are just down to nothing, literally, nothing, that I can call one person to help me in this world that will always be there for me and that is my mom. The rest of the people in my extended family don't bother all they will give you is an excuse or some lame advice that you probably already know.
The roughest time in my adult life came about 6 years ago. Due to a lot of circumstances out of my control and a lot of people in my extended family I found myself without a place to live for the first time in my whole life. Thank God my mom was there for my son and I because if it wasn't for her I don't know what would have happened.
One hot summer day, we, me, my mom, my son and my brother, all of us didn't have a place at this time, were sitting in a rental car under a shady tree in the parking lot of a grocery store and my mom had gotten out her phone book that she carried everywhere with her and she dialed every number to every living relative and friend that she had. We just needed a little help to get back on our feet, just a place to stay until we found a place of our own. Everybody and I do mean everybody she called had the same story of basically good luck but don't come here. Nobody even offered us a cup of coffee at their house and if they thought by any chance you might want to come over they had an excuse that they were just leaving to do whatever and didn't know when they would be back.
After those calls, that was the first time in a long time I had saw my mother hold back tears. She had been there for every single one of these people in the past. They had stayed with us at one time or another when they didn't have a place, she gave them shelter, food, transportation whatever they needed. If they needed the shirt off her back she would gladly give it to them. Her house was always the first place they would come if they ever needed anything. But, now when she needed them they were nowhere to be found. Their actions make her stronger and more determined as they did for me too. It was a rough 4 months that summer but through determination, a little luck, and hard work we got through it.
I am thankful that we did and thankful that we are all together as a family this Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my son, who is healthy and happy and thought of our bout with homelessness as an adventure. I am thankful that my mom is still with us today and thankful that she just celebrated her 76th birthday in October. I am thankful that there is a dollar store that got us through some lean times and is there when we need to run and get a treat for my son or some cleaning supplies for a dollar. I am thankful for the roof over my head and the people that I have never met that have blessed us during the year. Blessed us in ways that truly awesome just when I needed it the most. I am thankful for thankful for the roof over our heads and the food that is on our table through out the year and for the food that will be on the table for Thanksgiving that will be shared with my family and others who need a hot meal.
I am thankful for too many things to list this year and I hope that you are too. Happy Thanksgiving.
I was thinking about that today, sometimes I just think of random things, that's me. But, I was reading a post from a friend on Facebook and she was saying that in spite of a rough year she had things to be thankful for. I was thinking that it is true first of all, that we all have things to be thankful for, and second of all if you only had one rough year you are very lucky or very young. She's lucky.
I was reflecting on my life and the rough years that I have had recently. It has been give or take a year or two about seven rough years. Years of more struggle then I could possibly imagine. But, each struggle taught me something about myself and it taught me something about the people who called themselves family, the ones who were blood related to me. I learned that when times get really hard and you are just down to nothing, literally, nothing, that I can call one person to help me in this world that will always be there for me and that is my mom. The rest of the people in my extended family don't bother all they will give you is an excuse or some lame advice that you probably already know.
The roughest time in my adult life came about 6 years ago. Due to a lot of circumstances out of my control and a lot of people in my extended family I found myself without a place to live for the first time in my whole life. Thank God my mom was there for my son and I because if it wasn't for her I don't know what would have happened.
One hot summer day, we, me, my mom, my son and my brother, all of us didn't have a place at this time, were sitting in a rental car under a shady tree in the parking lot of a grocery store and my mom had gotten out her phone book that she carried everywhere with her and she dialed every number to every living relative and friend that she had. We just needed a little help to get back on our feet, just a place to stay until we found a place of our own. Everybody and I do mean everybody she called had the same story of basically good luck but don't come here. Nobody even offered us a cup of coffee at their house and if they thought by any chance you might want to come over they had an excuse that they were just leaving to do whatever and didn't know when they would be back.
After those calls, that was the first time in a long time I had saw my mother hold back tears. She had been there for every single one of these people in the past. They had stayed with us at one time or another when they didn't have a place, she gave them shelter, food, transportation whatever they needed. If they needed the shirt off her back she would gladly give it to them. Her house was always the first place they would come if they ever needed anything. But, now when she needed them they were nowhere to be found. Their actions make her stronger and more determined as they did for me too. It was a rough 4 months that summer but through determination, a little luck, and hard work we got through it.
I am thankful that we did and thankful that we are all together as a family this Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my son, who is healthy and happy and thought of our bout with homelessness as an adventure. I am thankful that my mom is still with us today and thankful that she just celebrated her 76th birthday in October. I am thankful that there is a dollar store that got us through some lean times and is there when we need to run and get a treat for my son or some cleaning supplies for a dollar. I am thankful for the roof over my head and the people that I have never met that have blessed us during the year. Blessed us in ways that truly awesome just when I needed it the most. I am thankful for thankful for the roof over our heads and the food that is on our table through out the year and for the food that will be on the table for Thanksgiving that will be shared with my family and others who need a hot meal.
I am thankful for too many things to list this year and I hope that you are too. Happy Thanksgiving.
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