Inspiration

http://enchantedgypsies.blogspot.com/

This is a couple whom I've been following for probably a couple of years.  I am borrowing a few things from their floor plan for Sirius - the wooden bookshelves above the windows, the mosaic fire wall (but I have bottle caps instead of tiles - cheaper and meaningful - reminds me of friendships and sharing), and the rear loft in lieu of a 'room'.  These photos also inspired me to go with real wood instead of laminate.  Am I ever thankful for that choice!

Their bus is also run on veggie oil, though they have opted for "settling down" now that they have a child.

A friend also directed me to this woman -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/10/carey-fuller-chronicles-h_n_834351.html

it's interesting, and I should read the book, my only critique is that at first she had a mini Winnebago, and isn't that a home?  America has some pretty strange definitions of homeless, and society has held us to these notions that downcast us, bound us and anchored us to poverty and more and more - that we have nothing when really - wow - we have everything if we could only accept that.  According to this article,  I'm voluntarily going 'homeless'.

No wonder my mom initially thought the idea was 'trashy'.

I had no idea - to me, to live like Jesus - simply, honestly, accepting the graciousness of others as we too give our own gifts, in our Home the Earth, always with a roof available and a place to lay down our heads and walls to hold back the winds - well, I'm not sure I can agree totally in the definition of homelessness.  But of course, that is NOT the point - the point is it's almost impossible to rise up sometimes.  That just because there is a middle class in America it's all ok, and that the ones in extreme poverty have committed some sort of act of either stupidity or ignorance or laziness over and over.  That is simply not true!  We need a community to not only hold out their hand to pull us up, but to truly empathize and become who we are.  When you are comforting your child with a skinned knee, don't you crouch down to her level?  When you pray with a sick man don't you sit on the edge of the bed and understand?  When you watch the news don't you cry with the people?

The welfare system belittles us.  Say all you will about the abuse of it - there is plenty - but as for me and my ten year experience - let's just say, more on that later.  I have quite a lot of writing to catch up on. . .later.

her blog on being a homeless mother of 2, living out of a mini-van now

http://invisibull.wordpress.com/

For me, there is blessing and peace in the simplicity.  I definitely understand the struggle to reach that security, and the need for a new community,  I would only add my bit - a change in consciousness to our situation during which we are actively making a real, positive change in it.  We are all blessed.  I think for the impoverished, it is much easier for us to see the blessings.


"It starts at home," she advises, "so take care of your relatives. Take care of your communities. Support your community first, donate to the food bank or to the homeless shelter ... If a collective gets together they can make change. That is what this is all about."


~Carey Fuller