Hands of Jesus Ministry

            A couple of weeks ago I spent a Saturday morning on Lancaster Ave near the homeless shelters during what is known amongst the homeless community as “tramp day”. On these Saturday mornings churches, ministries, groups and individuals stop at various locations to distribute food, clothing and other supplies to the homeless people who stop by.

On that occasion I met a group of people working out of the trunk of their car parked on a side street. The group called themselves the Hands of Jesus Ministry and after introducing myself to their director Jackie Manes we had a very nice conversation about what she and her small band of players are doing for the homeless.

            The day we met she and her helpers were giving out bottled water, breakfast burritos and clothing to all who stopped by. In talking with them I found out that all that they do is strictly out of their own love for people and that things like the bottled water and the breakfast burritos were paid for out of their own pockets or from a few small donations. She said that at one point she and her family were not doing well financially and that now she is just paying forward what she and her small group has been blessed with in their own small way.

            In talking with her there was no pressure and no pitch. Just a feeling of love and caring for those homeless people she talks to. A big pat on the back should go to Jackie and her friends. If you wish to contact her, send an email to: jkm1947@ymail.com. I’m sure she would appreciate hearing from you.

Where Do I Go From Here?

 

In a past couple of postings I spoke in a general way about how I got to this point in my life being homeless and some of the things that prevent me from ending my homelessness.

               It took me many years to fall to the point where I became homeless and then many more years of falling both emotionally and physically after I became homeless. Once I hit my personal bottom I had already gone through much of the emotional turmoil, the despair, the anger, the fear that we all must go through on a journey such as mine.

               Most of the chronic homeless people I know never reach that emotional, physical and spiritual bottom because at some point they reach some sort of equilibrium where they don’t fall any further nor do they rise up out of their homelessness.

               Once I did reach my personal bottom I had nowhere else to go but up. Getting a job alone wouldn’t do it. Getting better living arrangements alone wouldn’t do it. Even an improving emotional or spiritual state alone wouldn’t do it. It has to be a mix of all of those things together, not just one or two, that will cause me rise up and leave my homelessness behind.

               Today I’ve realized that what I have now is infinitely better than what I had just last week or last year. I’ve had to have a long serious conversation with myself and my God. I have to do whatever it takes (legally) to improve my living situation. I have to do whatever it takes to return to the people and society I had been running away from or left behind. I have to avoid being trapped again into the sort of events that got me here in the first place and I have to avoid getting too close to the people who unknowingly enabled me to fall to this point.

               Setting goals is part of what it’s all about, as is actually meeting those goals. Many of the goals are short term ones that ultimately will lead me to the accomplishment of my long term goals. What are my long term goals? Getting out of this tent for starters. Being self-sufficient and not relying on others for all that I need for another. Finally, being able to stay that way and not fall into another emotional, physical and spiritual trap that will lead me back to where I was.

               It’s not going to be easy. It hasn’t been east getting to where I am now. There is still more work ahead of me. I have a plan and it is working…….

A Kitten Explosion

Cats

 

I recently had a cat population explosion. I started out with 3 cats now I have 9. I have KITTENS!!!

I’ve had the mama cat since she was a kitten herself and now she is about 6 years old with 6 brand new kittens. The other female cat I have has had her very first litter and she has one surviving kitten. All told the first 6 kittens are a week old and I think I have found homes for 2 of them already. The one single kitten from the young mother is only 3 days old and I’m praying for it because I believe it was somewhat premature and the mother is still trying to figure out what to do.

 

Budgets

Budgets

The other day I was visiting with my very good friends Jeff and Sondra. We had begun talking about how expensive it was to own a car or even the cost of an apartment in certain parts of New York City. I mentioned something about how I am getting so good with a budget that I can still get mileage out of a penny. Truthfully, after many years of trial and error I finally figured out how to budget myself.

Once upon a time I earned a good salary but like anyone else I wanted more. More things, more stuff, thinking that more was better or that more would make me happy.

Most homeless people don't budget themselves very well when they do have money in their pockets. This is even true of the folks on the street who receive a monthly income from Social Security. The trick is learning to be happy with what you have which many people don't seem capable of doing. Of course having a drinking or drug problem certainly doesn't help.

There is a fellow who lives near me who receives a monthly SSI payment. He has his beer and weed. He gets his food and somehow at the end of each month he still has cash left over. He gets it. He worked out what works for him and he sticks to it.

After 10 years of not having any income to speak of, I learned to budget what money I did have. In the beginning it was budgeting enough to support my addictions yet have enough for cigarettes and food. Later as time went on and my addictions were being dealt with I learned to budget for all the things I needed and to prioritize which supplies were most important and which could wait or be done without altogether.

More is not always better. Nor is just having stuff better. Once you budget necessities the rest will follow. Being happy with what you have is not hard as long as you avoid the temptation of keeping up with the guy next door with all his stuff.