In March 2017, exactly seven years after I walked away from my first husband, I found myself on the way to a graduation ceremony for not only my daughter on Mother's Day (which could be the best Mother's Day gift ever for a mom who did her best to instill the value of education in her children), but to walk for my own Bachelor of Arts the day before. Who would have thought that I would spend the time I had while homeless, finishing my Bachelor's degree? Certainly not me.
The next six months held surprises of their own that I had no way of knowing while I was driving the Volvo north in the East.
Marching up the East Coast Trying to be Healthy
Portable smoothies made on the hood of my car from discount baby foods and hemp protein kept me going
I learned early in the seven years I had spent homeless by this time, was how violently my digestive system reacted to fast food. One of the ways I would combat the pain of irritable bowel while living in the Volvo, was to stock up on shelf-stable yogurt when I found it, and the new fruit-filled applesauces and baby-food fruit in a squeeze container when on clearance made for a great smoothie when combined with some hemp powder and all put into an empty bottle. Then it was just "shake well and add a straw!" But I couldn't eat my breakfast before saying a humble thank you to God above for keeping me safe the night before and for inspiring my healthy smoothie.
One thing so many people do not consider when giving food or gift cards for restaurants to homeless people is that many of us have difficult health conditions. We don't want the people who want to be generous to be offended when we can't take that Taco Bell off of your hands. I remember being gifted a Taco Bell gift card and wondering what they even sold that my belly wouldn't suffer a violent reaction from. I settled on buying prepackaged beverages. The public does not understand the importance of food choices when you don't have free access to a bathroom.
Driving up to New Hampshire
Making the most of the sun as I drove north
If you look closely at the photo above, you will see a small folding solar panel and a plastic bottle covered with electrical tape. Having lived off-grid without electricity for most of the time when we were in Arizona (the solar panels we used were very inefficient for the power we actually needed), I had picked up a few tricks. As the sun grew brighter, I learned not only to harness the energy in my portable solar panel that would charge my phone, but also to heat water for my cocoa in a plastic bottle with electrical tape on it.
When the water was warm enough, I poured it into another bottle with the cocoa and shook it up to have a warm treat by the time the sun was going down.
Easter 2017
The car that ran on prayers had reached its destination and parked
On Easter day, I parked the Volvo in the parking lot at a Manchester, New Hampshire The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints parking lot and walked in for services. I had a great day at church. When it came time to leave the parking lot and find a new place to park for the night, the car would not start.
After being towed to a local mechanic and checked out, long story short: It never ran again. The adventures in the car and while I was living in the church parking lot and where the Bishop moved me to are all covered in the end chapters of the book I am currently finishing as my Thesis for my Masters of FIne Arts. If you'd like to keep up on the progress and to hear more of the story, please join me on Facebook on the page The Car That Ran on Prayers.
We Made It
We both decorated our caps- She remembered her dad, I remembered her
The next month was graduation. I spent a month waiting, but before I knew it my daughter and her husband, as well as my mom and cousin, flew in from Washington for the Mother's Day weekend graduation. We were the first and second members of my mom's direct line to graduate from college. We made, and are still making, our marks on the world. Read more about why this was such a huge accomplishment for our family here.
The end of June Saw a Gift from God Delivered
I could not have dreamed this big
I will save most of the story for the book, but let's just say that my dreams never got as big as God's blessings that were in store. A Honda Odyssey would be not only our transportation back to Washington state, but also our home for a few months. It was a nice, albeit unexpected, upgrade from the Volvo sedan.
Taking Care of Myself
Across the country, I found myself in another church parking lot
When I got back to my home area, I made appointments with my physicians. The pulmonologist that had been following my asthma over the past few years expressed her shock at how bad my sinus infection was. The allergies that had begun to act up in Florida had taken over my facial sinuses in New Hampshire and had all become infected. I had a condition called "pansinusitis" and she prescribed antibiotics and prednisone.
When I went to pick up the prescription, the gal at the counter threw away the warning. I went back into my van and took my first dose, hoping to start to breathe better.
That night I endured vomiting that wouldn't end. I had never been sick to my stomach to the violent point that happened that night. I assumed it to be food poisoning and cursed the packaged salad that had been my dinner the previous night. After taking the antibiotic longer, I was horrified to learn that its effects were far more wicked than a night spent vomiting in the van.
I experience after-effects from that medication to this day.
Finishing a Milestone in the Woods of Washington
I loved the break from the libraries and I was connecting to God to finish my Bachelor's degree
The heat in August was far too much to keep living in the van. I knew I had to escape the town life and I knew just where to do it. Not even a half hour away from Olympia was a campground up in the Capital Forest. I drove into the Forest, found a campground an pitched my tent. Then I went about finishing those last few weeks of class to earn the degree that I had walked for the previous May.
I was finally finished. I was a college graduate. But I still did not have a place to live.
Free Food Season in My Hometown
One of my favorite foods, graciously provided by our mutual Creator
While living in the van, my food budget was slim. When blackberry season started, I was spending my evenings and mornings in the parking lot of the Stake Center for my church where a large field was available, as well as an electrical outlet for my phone. On the periphery of the field grew large bushes of blackberries intertwined with other fauna. I even spotted a pack of coyotes one morning while I was picking my breakfast.
It proved a wonderful time to start my morning by talking to God and giving my gratitude for all of the blessings He had provided. The blackberries were absolutely delicious, and exactly what I was craving.
September 20, 2017 - A Home of My Own after 7.5 Years to the Day
I found myself in need of a bookshelf, but I was to be blessed with all of the furniture I could ask for soon
I kept having the feeling I needed to return to the apartment complex I first moved into when I was only 21. Almost thirty years later, I put an application into the management for a one-bedroom apartment. The monthly rent would be over 70% of my disability payments, but I would receive help with the deposit and move-in from my church and an organization called. Sidewalk. Unfortunately, I was informed, there was no ongoing assistance available.
I continue to seek help with my rent, two years after I moved into a home of my own. Items others take for granted, like paper towels, are too much of a luxury to afford. My mother gifted me with an 8-pack for Christmas last year. They just ran out two weeks ago.
Rent comes first. I worry every month that I won't be able to make it. Mine is a situation being played out in the home of most of the disabled population and I am quite aware of it. I continue to thank my Heavenly Father for His blessings.
When I started this photo essay, I was looking at the tents pitched near the freeway and under a local bridge. What most people don't realize is that is only the very tip of the homelessness crisis. The people who are living in abusive relationships or overstaying their welcome long after a relationship has come to an end are also homeless. Other people may not know it, but the people experiencing the housing insecurity know exactly what will happen when they walk away.
Sometimes you have to live in a car, or a van to find your own place. Sometimes it takes seven and a half years, exactly, to find one for which you are willing to sacrifice.
