braveSOUL

PLEASE MEET AL:

Several weeks ago, Al woke up to the smell of thick black smoke in his nostrils. He woke to find that their structure under the bridge was indeed on fire! He ran to get the help of a friend, Joos, who ran to the burning structure. He bravely went inside where his friend Wolf remained asleep even though the walls were ablaze around him.

"Joos saved me." Wolf told me. "No, Al saved you by asking for help", Joos corrected him. Wolf told me that although Joos was soft-spoken, he can be very loud when it was needed. "I've never heard you use that voice before." They laughed.

Joos said he threw water on the fire, but it only made it grow. Several structures and tents were burned completely. It is uncertain what started the fire.

Al lost everything including his ID, bus passes, all of his clothes. He lost his winter work boots, his cook stove, his headlamp, all of his pants and sweatpants. Wolf was thankful he still had his wallet, and his cool leather jacket.

The three of them seemed to have a comradery brought closer by the experience. "It was a good place for us, a place to come together and share a laugh even in hard times." Al told me. "It will be missed."

Beacon Hill Neighborhood | Dawndra

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#JustSayHello #FacingHomelessness #Kindness

spiritANIMAL

PLEASE MEET MICHAEL:

Micheal was quite shy at first. He wasn't sure about the camera either. I told him that I don't bite, and I'm here to chat about positive things, and he warmed up right away. He told me he doesn't like cameras because he is self conscious about his teeth. Once we got passed that, he was very eager to tell me his story.

He was born in Three Rivers Michigan and was adopted. He did not meet his real mother until the age of 27, and it is unknown who his real father is.

When Micheal met his biological mother, he was shocked to learn two things, one being that she lived only 20 miles away and worked at General Motors, and two that she was just eleven years older than him. In his adopted family, Micheal is the youngest of four. In his biological family, he is the oldest of four.

Micheal told me that his spirit animal is a wolf. One day in Fresno, California a black wolf followed him around for a whole day until it disappeared and he never saw the wolf again. He told me that he cannot describe it, but that wolf is still a part of him, and he thinks of the wolf to this day.

He showed me a very cool metal necklace that he handmade. He loves working with his hands and talking to people, "but it's hard to sell your art or be a salesmen without any teeth."
I asked him if he had any art supplies at the moment and he said no, but he would love a drawing pad and charcoal to work with.

Micheal's adoptive father was very hard on him and he ran away for the first time at age eleven. It was the beginning of a long stream of both adventure and trouble ahead. "I'm doing something right, I'm still here." He once lived in Apache Junction where he collected and bought stones at a cheaper price for his jewelry making. His favorite stone is turquoise. He was also quite a pool shark back in the day.

What an interesting and important life Micheal! I told him it was so great to meet him. he thanked me for being a person who thinks of others besides myself. I thought about that a lot. Micheal, you made my day.

Georgetown Neighborhood | Dawndra

A QUIET THOUGHT - If you're moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/ and click on the 'donate' button and consider a "monthly recurring" donation of just $5 in support of the work. THANK YOU!
#JustSayHello #Kindness #FacingHomelessness

hardTIME

PLEASE MEET WOLF:

I was looking for someone, inquiring around the woods above Georgetown. A robust bald man with suspenders and a large beard sat scraping mud from his boots with a butcher knife. He hollered and pointed with the knife, “He’s over there. At Wolf’s place.”

Nearby was a sprawling camp, a patchwork of worn tarps and a wooden substructure. The site was clean. The framework square. A plank walkway led through the mud to a back entrance. There was a quiet man outside cooking over a fire. I proceeded towards the back. Two cats darted, knocking over a bottle. A man with a stubble beard appeared suddenly. I was startled and fumbled as I explained my presence. He smiled genuinely. “No problem. I’ve seen you around.” I shook his strong hand. He looked at me squarely. “My name is Wolf.”

Wolf’s childhood was a disaster. His parents were chronic alcoholics. They were both killed in suspicious incidents when he was very young. Wolf believes they were murdered. He was raised by his grandmother. “I grew up as a kid who couldn’t express himself.” At age 18 Wolf committed a crime that cost him nearly 20 years in prison. “I was an angry kid. I didn’t know how to react. I’d handle things differently today.”

Wolf left prison in his late 30’s with few basic living skills. He then met the love of his life. “She fell from the sky. She helped me get my life back. She had a nail business. I didn’t even know how to write a check,” he laughed, “She even did my nails and gave me pedicures, something I never thought I’d appreciate.”

Wolf found employment working construction and driving a wrecking truck. Things improved. But his son’s death from a traffic collision changed everything. And sadly, his angel from heaven would die the following year. Wolf was devastated. He turned to meth. Homelessness followed. Wolf speaks honestly with humility, fully owning the results of his actions. “I’ve learned you can jab a needle in your arm, you can climb inside a bottle. But you cannot hide from what lies within your heart.”

The day we spoke was Wolf’s 51 st birthday. “It’s been a long road. I’m tired. I can’t stand the dirt anymore. It’s like a dog chasing his tail. I know what I need to do but don’t know how.” I asked how he copes anymore. He smiled, “Laughter is the key to happiness. Negativity begets negativity.”

The very next day Wolf’s entire dwelling burned to the ground in a massive fire, destroying everything he owned.

Georgetown Neighborhood | Damian

A QUIET THOUGHT - If you're moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/ and click on the 'donate' button and consider a "monthly recurring" donation of just $5 in support of the work. THANK YOU!
#JustSayHello #Kindness #FacingHomelessness