"If you ask Maggie what she learned from her years of homelessness, the first thing she'll tell you is that EVERY DIRTY STINKING LITTLE THING THAT HAPPENS TO YOU, HAPPENS FOR A REASON. Just because God is with us doesn't mean we'll be saved from painful experiences. But the experience has something to teach us. it's our job to figure out what the lesson is"
Melody Beattie, Author THE GRIEF CLUB, page 97
......Versace Tentace.......
If you have been following BLOG thingie for a while you will have noticed that I have referred to Melody Beattie before. Melody is best known for her book "Co-Dependant No More" which I haven't read. But her book the GRIEF CLUB is up there with my favorite books. Not because it is a literary masterpiece but because Melody has been through a lot in her life and has benefited the world by being able to put her feelings, her emotions, into words. I think I have said before she WRITES WITH SOUL. I would recommend this book to everyone, even if you have been blessed in life...... so far! When I really needed help her book came to my rescue. It's when I was down and out. Self pity was running rampant and I was looking for a suffering 'partner', a mentor, so to speak.
It's funny how I found the book, or more specifically, how the book found me. It was at the library but it wasn't in the normal "I feel sorry for myself" section of Self Help and Personal Development. In fact I found it on the floor. I picked it up to find out where I should put it back and read one paragraph, then opened the book contents to find the Chapter on Maggie. I was meant to read it. Since then I have read the book probably a dozen times. It makes me understand myself a little better because it's about, aaarrgghhmm, well sorta, hmmm..... about ME.The whole book is worth reading but the Chapter on Maggie is like reading "The Mirror", an image of ME! Maggie had a good business of her own but made a mistake. She got married. All was OK until her husband lost his job. Then life turned sour for a long time. She ended up living in a tent and she really didn't do anything wrong herself. But the Gods were against her, for whatever reason.
It's funny how I found the book, or more specifically, how the book found me. It was at the library but it wasn't in the normal "I feel sorry for myself" section of Self Help and Personal Development. In fact I found it on the floor. I picked it up to find out where I should put it back and read one paragraph, then opened the book contents to find the Chapter on Maggie. I was meant to read it. Since then I have read the book probably a dozen times. It makes me understand myself a little better because it's about, aaarrgghhmm, well sorta, hmmm..... about ME.The whole book is worth reading but the Chapter on Maggie is like reading "The Mirror", an image of ME! Maggie had a good business of her own but made a mistake. She got married. All was OK until her husband lost his job. Then life turned sour for a long time. She ended up living in a tent and she really didn't do anything wrong herself. But the Gods were against her, for whatever reason.
YOU could live in there.....
Homelessness isn't something you learn in school, or in a book. It's something you have to EXPERIENCE.
YOU BECOME IT. Then when you realise where you are, your new friends and acquaintances, you do what you need to learn to try and get back out into 'normal' society. Another extract (page 92) from the book....................
"There's an underground culture even in wealthy cities. In another time they might be called nomads. Now they're homeless people who live on the street. Some are ordinary people like Maggie. A series of bad breaks bumps them out of normal life and pushes them into the gap. Some of the people are dangerous, insane. Some are alcoholics, addicts. It's a microcosm of society. it's our little world.Most people don't 'SEE' the people living in the gap. They're almost invisible. It bothers some people to see homeless people. It annoys them. Maggie barely noticed until she became one herself".
YOU BECOME IT. Then when you realise where you are, your new friends and acquaintances, you do what you need to learn to try and get back out into 'normal' society. Another extract (page 92) from the book....................
"There's an underground culture even in wealthy cities. In another time they might be called nomads. Now they're homeless people who live on the street. Some are ordinary people like Maggie. A series of bad breaks bumps them out of normal life and pushes them into the gap. Some of the people are dangerous, insane. Some are alcoholics, addicts. It's a microcosm of society. it's our little world.Most people don't 'SEE' the people living in the gap. They're almost invisible. It bothers some people to see homeless people. It annoys them. Maggie barely noticed until she became one herself".
Bad stories often turn into good stories. Maggie finally got out.....alive. She now has her own joint and when she gets the chance throws 'supplies' down to the homeless anonymously. Because she was one of them she learned that it is our job in life to help our brothers and sisters. Sometimes the lesson can be hard.
In my book I talked about "Degrees Of Devastation". Like many people I have suffered other things like heartbreak, family loss and 'stuff'. But each bit of pain, each piece of grief, each slice of sorrow, is for a reason. Those reasons help us learn. They help us understand ourselves more. They make us appreciate how precious...... and short...... life is. When you EXPERIENCE the bad stuff that life serves up, it makes us empathise with those who have suffered fate much worse than our own. All of these experiences we must learn to SHARE, to help others. It is why I have designed DotsHQ. So that I can pass on my experiences to help others in trouble. We all need to think a lot more about our lives and the lives of others. It's where that stuff called LOVE comes in. We also need to keep in mind "MEMENTO MORI". Life is short and.....
..IT Happens........
In my book I talked about "Degrees Of Devastation". Like many people I have suffered other things like heartbreak, family loss and 'stuff'. But each bit of pain, each piece of grief, each slice of sorrow, is for a reason. Those reasons help us learn. They help us understand ourselves more. They make us appreciate how precious...... and short...... life is. When you EXPERIENCE the bad stuff that life serves up, it makes us empathise with those who have suffered fate much worse than our own. All of these experiences we must learn to SHARE, to help others. It is why I have designed DotsHQ. So that I can pass on my experiences to help others in trouble. We all need to think a lot more about our lives and the lives of others. It's where that stuff called LOVE comes in. We also need to keep in mind "MEMENTO MORI". Life is short and.....
..IT Happens........
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