Not all homeless have mental illness and/or a drug addiction. Not all homeless are broke. Some choose to go without a home. How do I know? I did it. Except my goal was to be without a home for four months, which without a plan turned into three years three plus months.
Going thru that changed me forever. So much so, I think everyone should do it. It has of way of waking us up to what matters. Letting go of what doesn't, but most importantly, it opens our soul. There's a reason many homeless appear to be talking to themselves, and it's not mental illness. It's called connectedness.
My entire life I've been given visions. However, shortly after my being without a home, I began having conversations with myself. We all do. But is it really us? No, it could be God, a celestial being, family or friends, and even the dark side. The latter loves tormenting people. This is the connectedness that many homeless have been dealt. Can they control it, yes and no. They first need to realize it isn't them then stand up to it, which is not easy, but doable.
My mom was the first to come thru, although it did not last long enough. Dark attacks pretty much wiped her out. Yes, they can die twice.
Many from the bright side followed, then came God. Neale Donald Walsh was homeless when he began hearing God. He also published several books, Conversations With God. A series of books filled with Q & A. Neale has since rose to stardom and forgotten about who led him there it appears.
God is too much fun to go a day without him. He's a character without a flaw. A Nerd of the Most High, and perhaps the first hippy to walk our planet. While serious when needed, he is far from how Bible portrays him. Which is partly why they chose me. My childlike spirit is becoming more in-common with theirs. We laugh often.
So, my journey of going without a home is how I began talking with him. Going that long without a home was not easy. Some believe you can save money doing it. Not so easy. I was blessed to have a vehicle, but still, it costs money to be without a home. To the point of making it difficult to save much. I knew I wasn't going to take the easy way out, but when months turned into years, I needed a break.
Six months on a mountain solo, on/off a big rig, one too many hotels, house sitting gigs, and truck stop showers were my break. It was impossible to lay flat in my vehicle. What going without a home or being homeless is, is aging. More on this in a future book, Me, Myself & God.
As for the truly homeless, my heart aches for them, but I always ask God about them. Sure, many do have addictions, are talking to someone others don't see, are in debt, and oftentimes feel forgotten. We all have a story. What kept me going was thinking of others before me. The singer Jewel, Robert and Kim Kiyosaki, and even Steve Harvey. They all turned out beyond safe and sane. Like Neale Donald Walsh, all made a name for themselves. That's what painful alone time can do.
Because I did not take the easy way out, I was like a diamond in the rough, with God at work on my soul. I was growing so rich in spirit, my physical body wasn't always hungry.
I also didn't know where I wanted to live. Not even when I bought my house did I feel at home. I have now been home sweet home for nearly six years and love where I live but beginning to feel claustrophobic. I don't have much, but do have too much, knowing I have yet to find my forever home. God says soon.
I will never put my body thru going without a home again, but a major spring cleaning is in order. I feel a huge change coming.
May God bless all the homeless and those without a home. It is not what happens to us that matter, it is how we respond that gets us on God's radar. Whatever your situation or wish, keep the faith. It is your lesson this lifetime. Your only job is to show God what you're made of... what'll it be?
As for fixing the true homeless problem, one thing is for darn sure, crack pipe smoking kits is not the solution. Perhaps it is their way of getting rid of the problem. Two negatives only equal a positive in algebra.
On the brightest side of the homelessness problem is, a neighboring city has begun looking to create a Homeless Task Force. Needless to say, I applied.
God sends his peace OUT!
Till next time, may you see the homeless thru a different lens. Be gentle. The darkness in them will not like the darkness in you. Yes, there's truth to "the devil made me do it." Being mean and thinking bad thoughts is also darkness controlling our thoughts.
Carmen