As I watch — mostly from the sidelines — I am constantly reminded of being burned out of an apartment when I was 31, and my oldest son was not yet a year. The small family of us (three) moved in with my in-laws for a few weeks until a house turned up in an unlikely location, and is the address where I sit now and type. I didn't desire this location then. It was considered most unsavory, even dangerous. I remember my brother not allowing his daughter — my niece — to babysit. (Ironically, now that gentrification has had its way, my 'hood is hip.)
What began in terror and fire, with my rescue of my baby from his burning bedroom, ended up becoming a beloved home and neighborhood: a life. We rented here because it was what we could afford. We purchased the house for the same reason. I happily, and gratefully, live here now because I choose to.
In my version of prayer and intention, this young (very young, and with four children under the age of four) family in distress will get their own chance at a future that will offer stability, community and a measure of abundance. Only, I can't guarantee even a micro-fraction of that. (And O, for a magic wand.)
All I can do is listen, offer advice from the sidelines, and be emotionally supportive to those who are attempting to bolster this precarious collection of vulnerable souls.
Tallying my own modest blessings this November night: shelter, food, heat, family, friends — easy to type on this keyboard, easy to make appear on a computer screen. Not necessarily so easy to conjure when you're living out of a car.
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| from "The Migrant Mother Sequence", Dorothea Lange |
Despair, of this sort, is quite rare over here. We have a social security system that ensures that folk have a home and enough money to look after themselves to a reasonable standard. Why is it that the US (which seems to pride itself on just about everything) doesn't do the same?
ReplyDeleteCro, the fact of this saddens me deeply. Although I've never been a flag waver, I've often been happy to call the US my home. Not so certain of that anymore.
ReplyDeletethis makes me so very sad. it happens too much. and what Cro says above just underlines the fact that it doesn't have to be this way.
ReplyDeleteyes, what Cro said really struck me as well. Over here in the states, most conservatives would call that basic level of care to be the dreaded SOCIALISM and to be avoided at all costs. When will those old farts go away and leave the world to a more compassionate group?
DeleteI am so ready for the old farts' exit. And here's some good news: yesterday in Seattle, a socialist candidate for city council was declared winner, after a recount. Of course, we don't know what kind of councilwoman she'll make, but the fact that my fellow Seattleites (including me) elected a Socailist makes me glow.
DeleteI went to a fundraising breakfast last week for Mutual Housing California (you may see it on-line). They are there specifically for this kind of family: a place to live, a community to be a part of, day care, and job training and counseling. I was so moved by the success stories of families who got their first real break and went on to much greater things, that I became a monthly contributor. It saddens me greatly that SO MANY families are left out in the cold. It should never happen in a country as wealthy (and as "Christian") as ours. I, too, count my blessings in my tiny apartment with central heat and air, running water, a good kitchen to cook healthy food in.
ReplyDeleteI ache for this family and so hope that help, the right help, is extended.
Tara, I've said it before and I'll say it again: you're a good human being.
DeleteWord was this afternoon that they had the keys to a rental. Next, of course, comes everything else: job, preschool, stability. None of those are easy things, especially at their young ages. But they've made a first step, six months rent has been paid in advance (by a relative), and they'll sleep with a modicum of peace tonight.
Your post is heartbreaking T.Clear. Like Cro, I wonder at the sense of a system that fails to support its people.
ReplyDelete