~
Whispers of Hope ~
That's
what you find when you're on the streets that come through in the
little
things
that make an incredible difference -- A warm embrace, a gentle touch,
a
kind word – these are the Whispers of Hope embedded deep within the
heart,
something
that can only be given, truly given
straight from the heart,
making
a world of difference in your life.
There
is always an upside to everything, regardless of circumstance –
including
being
homeless and having to live year after endless year on the streets.
Being
out here has brought to my life some of the most remarkable people I
have
been blessed to know, whom I otherwise would not have had the
pleasure of meeting if I were not homeless and forced to live out
here. Those out here on
the
streets, as well as though rare few who are not who have brought such
beautiful
gifts of love, warmth, and humanity with a glimmer of HOPE
to
my heart and my life. Enriching my heart on the deepest level at the
very
core of my being...
The
negative aspects of being on the streets are endless and weigh
heavily
on
your heart and soul, and would consume me whole, if I let it. That's
why I
do
my best to shift that focus onto more positive things, which at times
truly
becomes
a treasure hunt in the truest sense of the word. Those Whispers of
Hope
are
what keeps me going, pushing forward and sustaining me. Keeping it
close
to
your heart so you can call it forth when it's really needed.
When
you are homeless, sometimes the physical fact of that circumstance
overshadows
everything else around you, including the blessings that are
generally disguised as something else so you don't always recognize
them for what they are.
Every morning, I pull out a little journal and pen some Gratitude pages.
More
often than not, that first stroke of my pen is so difficult,
trying
to find something, anything, to really be Grateful for.
Sometimes,
I
have to look all around me to come up with even a few, but I do,
each
and every day find something, many things, actually, to be grateful
for.
Every morning, and most evenings, I have a front row seat for the
starts
and ends to each day. Being witness to the sunrises, when it is not
overcast
or raining, and the sunsets each evening. The songs of the
birds
all around me, all the animals that share my space
and
allow me to share in theirs.
My Gratitude list grows each and every day.... but it doesn't go down or diminish.
There are days that being Grateful is really hard,
especially
with the forced circumstance I was put in and
everything
I have to contend with.
But
there is not a day that goes by that I fail to count the blessings in
my life.
