Dear Reader,
Thanks to the crappy things happening in my life, I’ve fallen way behind on my Pagan Blog Project posts. The group is currently on “J”, but I haven’t done “D” yet. Unfortunately, I just received some inspiration for a “D” post.
A couple of weeks ago, I told you about a friend of mine, Kelly, whose family is in a desperate situation. Kelly, her SO, and her young son are currently homeless and have been living in their small pickup truck. They do not have money for shelter, or even for regular meals.
And now, the family’s circumstances have worsened. They need immediate assistance.
Here’s part of a message she sent me last night, after I asked her how things are going:
We were offered a crap trailer for 75/month and thought, ok, we can do this until the end of the school year. We were there for two days when [my SO, a combat veteran who suffers from severe PTSD] cracked, and damn near broke, from all the stress, no sleep and not eating. Here’s the clincher: as soon as we paid our rent, the [landlady] started yanking us around and finally kicked us out on Friday.
Then, to cap these last two weeks off, my Boston terrier, Susu, decided to jump out my truck window, even tho she was short-leashed to my gearshift and, I hope to God, broke her neck.
How much more do we have to take before we’re able to get off the streets?!
As you can see, Kelly and her family are going through hell. I honestly don’t think I’d be able to cope with that. Would you?
To try to ease the situation, I helped Kelly set up a personal fundraiser. The original goal was $3000. So far, donations total $865, which Kelly has used for food, truck payments, gas, and a couple of nights in a motel room. But it’s not enough to survive on.
Another $900 would be sufficient for one month in the cheapest motel room — which would get Kelly’s son almost to the end of the school year. After that, the weather will be warmer, and they should be able to camp outside.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you can, donate to Kelly’s fundraiser. If you prefer to donate via PayPal, you can send funds directly to williambarnes26@gmail.com. (That’s Kelly’s SO.)
If you are one of the 30 people who have already contributed to Kelly’s family, THANK YOU! Please consider making a second donation.
If you have not yet chipped in, please try to — even if it’s only a small amount. A few dollars can make the difference between getting breakfast for Kelly’s son, and going to school hungry.
Every little bit truly does help.
So, how does this relate to a “D” post about pagan spirituality? It’s simple. D is for “desperation” and “duty”.
Traditional Brighid’s Cross
woven Irish rushes
I follow the Goddess Brighid, who is widely known as a goddess of healing, poetry, and smithcraft. Although this is less well known, She is also a goddess of social justice, particularly of those who are disenfranchised by society: the poor, the homeless, the people who are living in their cars because they have nowhere else to go. As a lawgiver, Brighid spoke for the “cowless ones”, that is, the people on the outside, who had no money or social status. And later, as a saint, She worked tirelessly to provide food and shelter for those who needed it.
As a follower of Brighid, it’s my duty to at least try to follow Her example. Many pagans who worship Brighid do so through creative arts and healing. Those are wonderful ways to honor Her. But sometimes it’s equally important to honor Her by helping our friends in need.
Whether you personally follow Brighid or not, Dear Reader, please take a minute to think about how grateful for a helping hand you would be, if you were hungry, cold, and afraid. Think about spending night after night in your car, about not having regular access to running water, and about teaching your children to search though dumpsters and trashcans for recyclables to trade in for enough money to buy their one small meal for the day. Think about how you would feel to have to explain to your children’s teachers that their grades are slipping and their clothes are dirty because they’re hungry, exhausted, scared, and homeless.
Now, please think about doing something about all that. PLEASE DONATE NOW!
You don’t have to be religious at all to understand the value of practice the Golden Rule or to reach out to someone who desperately needs your help to simply stay alive.
D is for “Do unto others as you want others to do unto you.”
D is for “donation”.
Thank you.
~ Aster
P.S. Whether you can make a donation or not, please help to spread the word about this fundraiser. If you blog, tweet, or email, feel free to use some or all of my posts about this horrible situation. If you know of a group that might consider making a donation (a church group, civic organization, scouting troop, etc.), please tell them about Kelly’s family.
Liminal Lotus 