Finding Zen

A-Z=Z-Zen
Ok, today's the last day of the A-Z challenge and Z is not an easy letter to come up with anything associated with homelessness and what we do here on Bridge and Beyond.  My goal, my dream would be to hear there is Zero Homeless Population, but I know that won't happen, certainly not in my lifetime.  And how would I show Zero Homeless in a blog post.  This being the last day, maybe a little levity is in order...some of the posts here have been pretty sad, because frankly the situation is sad and there's little good to post about.  However, even in bad circumstances there are people who make the most of the situation, people with a upbeat personality, people who don't let "it" get to them.  This man strikes me as someone like that.

If there's such a thing as Zen, finding Zen in a homeless situation, this picture might represent it.  Look how creative this man is with his drawing on the underpass wall.  Got a birdcage, a dresser and tv and a window with a blind.  Now, I don't call this living life in the lap of luxury by any means, but clearly he has he things organized, and he looks cleaner then most as do his belongings.  Sleeping on an old mattress in an underpass is not a life I would want, but this man......Gotta hand it to him.  Makes me wonder if he has a job, you know homeless do.

I hope those who've visited through A-Z have learned alot about homelessness, and that you'll continue to visit the blog.  I hope some of you have figured out a way you might help, if not here with Bridge and Beyond, locally in some capacity.  Visiting, commenting, those help the blog reach others, so do come back and cheer on all the helping hands.

Tomorrow then is May, but the work here on Bridge and Beyond continues.  We knit and crochet and donate all year long, not just in the winter months.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Yarn Helps Homeless

 Today is Y for the A-Z Challenge, and Y = Yarn.  This cute and rather fun comic was posted both on Facebook and here on my blog, Bridge and Beyond some time back...thought it was good enough to give it another go round.  I'm a person who doesn't like to shop, if you know me, you've heard me say that 1000 times..........yarn shopping excluded from that statement.

Yarn comes in many colors, weights, and textures and can be made into almost anything you can think of with knitting, crocheting, and looming.  This array of yarn was donated.  Some of these colors you might recognize as being part of The Learning Logs Afghan I've been knitting.

You writers and story tellers may think of something entirely different when you see or hear the word yarn, you may think of stories.  People used to sit on the front porches and spin yarns........tell stories.  Well, yarn as pictured here tells stories too.  The story is how it became yarn, how it jumped into someone's shopping basket wanting to find a home, how it called out to the knitter/crocheter about what item it should become, and then how it warms someone on a cold night sleeping outside, and gives both physical and emotional help/warmth and hope.

Yarn is a powerful thing, and what's made from it.......goodness it tells a story.  A story of how someone you don't know, took their precious time to make something out of love and yarn for just you.  And so there are many stories about yarn and Homeless.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.

Xenophobia

A-Z Challenge = X= Xenophobia.  Not exactly the easiest letter to work with, and then once the word was found, also not easy to find a photo that works.  Fear of foreigners, fear of someone different is the loose definition of the word.  Though the picture doesn't perhaps show fear...fear often manifests itself into mockery and judging of the other party.  Homeless people are often misunderstood, often made fun of, often mistreated, often judge.  They are judged to be lazy, judged to be criminals, judged to be alcoholics and druggies.  We fear what we don't know, what we don't understand.  Some do choose to be homeless, but many don't.  For many it's just something that happens.  They lose their job and they can't pay bills, and they get evicted.  They have a bad illness which wipes them out financially causing the same effect.  They have a drug or alcohol problem which causes them to fall down the same path.  They come back from service to their country broken, they don't fit in, they can't hold a job, they have mental illnesses left untreated.  There are many reason for homelessness.

One of hardest things for a homeless person to fight is in fact the Xenophobia people have.  People look the other way, they don't want to speak to them out of fear.  They don't want to be asked, with perhaps pleading eyes for help of some kind.  They don't want to be judged.  They don't want to be blamed.

What can you do to help Homeless People?  Donate money, donate clothing, donate time at a soup kitchen, smile and say hello when you pass one.  Donate here through Bridge and Beyond through your time with yarn.  Ask what your church does in your community about homelessness.

All donations regardless of size and number are valued. All donations are appreciated. The Power of One is awesome, and when we work together The Power of One becomes The Power of Many.