Thanks for sharing the stories, Jan. We need to hear these things so we can do something to help.
When I was helping in Paradise, California, after the devastating Camp Fire, we had volunteers checking people’s eligibility for assistance from our project. One volunteer described two families neighbors directed him to who were so devastated and rock bottom emotionally that they weren’t even able to complete an application for assistance, so he took the time to help them get the help they needed.
There are so many in our communities who need advocates to help them move forward. It’s one of my sunset years passions. I have enough stuff and have much experience to share. In fact, today I paid my “child support” payments to two young families who struggle to live in a low wage, high cost area.
It doesn’t take make to bring folks back from the brick, but the rewards for doing so are priceless.
Thanks Randy. You're right, unless we hear these stories, we don't know how we can help. Sometimes we can directly (you are such a dear to help those families the way you are) and sometimes we help indirectly by supporting other's efforts or even by supporting policies that make a difference in middle class and poorer peoples lives.
You, my friend, have lived and traveled in enough places all over the world to confidently declare that it does indeed take a village. We need each other. Community makes a difference. Every man for himself just doesn't work. If we want to talk about old fashioned values, I think this is where we need to start. When people took care of each other. Even during the depression when a hobo came to your back door, you found them something to eat and some job to do.
These are stories that break your heart. For me, I think it took running away to live abroad to really understand what it meant for a society to take care of each other. Northern European Socialist Democracies aren’t perfect, but there’s very much the feeling that everyone deserves a life of dignity, and the government is responsible to provide basic human rights like healthcare and housing.
I’ve also seen this on the city level living in Amsterdam. My small neighbourhood got to vote how to spend money specifically set aside to beautify and improve our community. And low-income families get a special card that not only gives them access to free public transport, but also reduced fees for museums and cultural events. Because nurturing the soul is a human right too.
It felt like the slow unclenching of a fist to know that there’s a safety net here to catch me if I fall. And once I felt that, I wanted everyone to feel it, in a way I’d never known was possible before.
My biggest beef with America now is that “taking care of each other” so often means private charity. That’s just never enough, and it relies on the (unreliable) largesse of the giver, as well as giving those who have more the power to decide who “deserves” their help.
Sarah, thank you for all these comments. You're right - relying on the philanthropy of others is not the answer and this has always been a problem. In this regard, I appreciated Oprah speaking at the DNC, saying ahead of time to a reporter that her story could never have happened anywhere but in America. Which is true of ALL philanthropists - from Carnegie to Rockefeller to Melinda Gates - this country has made it possible for ordinary people to become extremely successful, because we have roads and hospitals and education and more. After decades of ignoring this infrastructure, we need to get back to it. Those who have benefited the most are not giving back in equal measure. It's up to the government to take care of its people. Everyone DOES deserve dignity, a home, healthcare, and an education. Anyone who opposes these things wants to control people instead of care for them.
The slow unclenching of a fist. That's powerful. I think perhaps that also says a lot about the discontent here in America that has led to violence.
Your gift for caring and sharing inspires so many of us to Do Something… to remember that caring for each other is the primary assignment of this journey. Love you
This is why broad generalizations of people are almost always wrong. Just because you know one Jewish person, one white person, one person on food stamps, one person working three jobs, etc, etc, doesnt mean you know everyone with that characteristic.
I see 20-25 people a month in chapter 7 bankruptcy and I have 10 minutes to ask them questions about their lives and financial status. The stories are incredible, and none are identical.
Wow, that's a lot of folks coming across your path in one month, struggling at the deepest level. What is it you do? This is still embarrassing to admit but twenty-two years ago, I was someone you might have helped. I was supplementing my limited income with credit, trying to make ends meet, working temp jobs and then I had a miscarriage - the most painful experience of my life. Complications led to medical debt as well as loss of work. Before I knew it, missed payments had ballooned and I was in deep trouble. Filing for bankruptcy was incredibly hard - it went against all I had been taught. But you know what? I was able to get back on my feet, eventually bought a house, and went back to school. I've contributed much more as a citizen because of it. I'm sure you hear similar stories - though not identical - all the time. Thank you for what you do - and for not judging folks who need your help.
These people and families are in all of our communities. While some people know the level of their desperation, many do not. As the McKinney-Vento coordinator ( homelessness) for my school district in a small Maine community I had funds to spend to help families facing homelessness. I relied on staff to help me identify folks. I talked with one staff person who was explaining about one family living multigeneration in a trailer …I asked if she thought they’d qualify as being at risk of homelessness. She replied that she didn’t think so as it was the only way of life this family had ever known. We can do better for all of our neighbors.
You are so right, Kathy. These stories are everywhere, good honest people struggling in every community across our great nation. Thank you for the work you did in your community. And ah, this one story in particular, is such a lesson to us all, yes? The American myth of the maverick and "self-made" man continues to harm many of us. Alone, most of us cannot make it - financially or emotionally. But those who retain family units, and this is particularly true of immigrants, who continue to live together as multi-generation homes, may not have the same luxuries that most of us can't imagine living without (multiple bathrooms, individual bedrooms), yet they know someone always has their back. We must do better.
Thank you for this, Jan. A reminder that we can do much better at taking care of one another. As individuals, we are much better off when all of us are thriving.
Yes! And thriving is actually not that complicated, right? Home, healthcare, education, and food. The current conditions in our valley seem almost criminal to me. Basic food items that cost a full one to two dollars more here than they do 60 miles away. It didn't used to be like that. And housing is just as expensive as in LA for heavens sake. It's crazy. We can't continue to have basic services for the upper class if the middle and lower class can't afford to live here. - sorry for the rant - I know you feel the same way.
AMEN, MY DEAR COUSIN, AMEN!!!!! You don't know what someone's story is until you ask, and not enough of us do that. It doesn't have to be a lot, just do something to help. When I was working in the clinic, we go so much formula given to us by the companies that it would expire, so when there were families struggling to buy the expensive stuff, I passed it out like candy. Nothing should go to waste. It wasn't much but they were so grateful. My dad used to fix shoes for a living and before he quit, he used to say that we are a throw away society, and he is right. We throw away things we don't need instead of giving them to someone who could use it. We are failing the needy in this country, especially those you are contributing to the world by going to work every day and trying to better themselves. The people with pride end up getting the wrong end of the stick.
Indeed - we are far too much of a throw away society these days. Sure, some of that is due to people and having money that can afford waste, but I also believe it is the result of corporate greed. No one can survive without a phone or computer these days. (well some can without the latter, but only if they have a smartphone) and yet these things are not built to last. This seems absolutely insane to me! I understand that technology changes but still... even our cars, we no longer have rubber bumpers. Shoes and clothing and sheets and other goods fall apart. I purchase expensive shoes (because of problems with my feet) and have had many resoled multiple times. But in the last decade or so, it is increasingly hard to find a cobbler. I took a pair of Tom's boots to one (the only one we could find in a 100 mile radius) and he said that unfortunately, if he restitched them, they would just fall apart again b/c of where the crease was. What?? He's right - we can both see he's correct - and we're distressed as heck cuz Tom really loves those boots and they weren't cheap. Alas.
Of course you gave away the formula like candy! God bless you. It is SO expensive and yet the companies could afford to give away tons of it to doctors but they wouldn't consider just lowing the price of it for the public. Agh!!!!! (love you)
Thanks for sharing the stories, Jan. We need to hear these things so we can do something to help.
When I was helping in Paradise, California, after the devastating Camp Fire, we had volunteers checking people’s eligibility for assistance from our project. One volunteer described two families neighbors directed him to who were so devastated and rock bottom emotionally that they weren’t even able to complete an application for assistance, so he took the time to help them get the help they needed.
There are so many in our communities who need advocates to help them move forward. It’s one of my sunset years passions. I have enough stuff and have much experience to share. In fact, today I paid my “child support” payments to two young families who struggle to live in a low wage, high cost area.
It doesn’t take make to bring folks back from the brick, but the rewards for doing so are priceless.
Thanks Randy. You're right, unless we hear these stories, we don't know how we can help. Sometimes we can directly (you are such a dear to help those families the way you are) and sometimes we help indirectly by supporting other's efforts or even by supporting policies that make a difference in middle class and poorer peoples lives.
You, my friend, have lived and traveled in enough places all over the world to confidently declare that it does indeed take a village. We need each other. Community makes a difference. Every man for himself just doesn't work. If we want to talk about old fashioned values, I think this is where we need to start. When people took care of each other. Even during the depression when a hobo came to your back door, you found them something to eat and some job to do.
These are stories that break your heart. For me, I think it took running away to live abroad to really understand what it meant for a society to take care of each other. Northern European Socialist Democracies aren’t perfect, but there’s very much the feeling that everyone deserves a life of dignity, and the government is responsible to provide basic human rights like healthcare and housing.
I’ve also seen this on the city level living in Amsterdam. My small neighbourhood got to vote how to spend money specifically set aside to beautify and improve our community. And low-income families get a special card that not only gives them access to free public transport, but also reduced fees for museums and cultural events. Because nurturing the soul is a human right too.
It felt like the slow unclenching of a fist to know that there’s a safety net here to catch me if I fall. And once I felt that, I wanted everyone to feel it, in a way I’d never known was possible before.
My biggest beef with America now is that “taking care of each other” so often means private charity. That’s just never enough, and it relies on the (unreliable) largesse of the giver, as well as giving those who have more the power to decide who “deserves” their help.
Sarah, thank you for all these comments. You're right - relying on the philanthropy of others is not the answer and this has always been a problem. In this regard, I appreciated Oprah speaking at the DNC, saying ahead of time to a reporter that her story could never have happened anywhere but in America. Which is true of ALL philanthropists - from Carnegie to Rockefeller to Melinda Gates - this country has made it possible for ordinary people to become extremely successful, because we have roads and hospitals and education and more. After decades of ignoring this infrastructure, we need to get back to it. Those who have benefited the most are not giving back in equal measure. It's up to the government to take care of its people. Everyone DOES deserve dignity, a home, healthcare, and an education. Anyone who opposes these things wants to control people instead of care for them.
The slow unclenching of a fist. That's powerful. I think perhaps that also says a lot about the discontent here in America that has led to violence.
Thanks again for this very thoughtful response.
Your gift for caring and sharing inspires so many of us to Do Something… to remember that caring for each other is the primary assignment of this journey. Love you
This is why broad generalizations of people are almost always wrong. Just because you know one Jewish person, one white person, one person on food stamps, one person working three jobs, etc, etc, doesnt mean you know everyone with that characteristic.
I see 20-25 people a month in chapter 7 bankruptcy and I have 10 minutes to ask them questions about their lives and financial status. The stories are incredible, and none are identical.
Wow, that's a lot of folks coming across your path in one month, struggling at the deepest level. What is it you do? This is still embarrassing to admit but twenty-two years ago, I was someone you might have helped. I was supplementing my limited income with credit, trying to make ends meet, working temp jobs and then I had a miscarriage - the most painful experience of my life. Complications led to medical debt as well as loss of work. Before I knew it, missed payments had ballooned and I was in deep trouble. Filing for bankruptcy was incredibly hard - it went against all I had been taught. But you know what? I was able to get back on my feet, eventually bought a house, and went back to school. I've contributed much more as a citizen because of it. I'm sure you hear similar stories - though not identical - all the time. Thank you for what you do - and for not judging folks who need your help.
I am a lawyer by profession but most of my work has been as a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee.
These people and families are in all of our communities. While some people know the level of their desperation, many do not. As the McKinney-Vento coordinator ( homelessness) for my school district in a small Maine community I had funds to spend to help families facing homelessness. I relied on staff to help me identify folks. I talked with one staff person who was explaining about one family living multigeneration in a trailer …I asked if she thought they’d qualify as being at risk of homelessness. She replied that she didn’t think so as it was the only way of life this family had ever known. We can do better for all of our neighbors.
You are so right, Kathy. These stories are everywhere, good honest people struggling in every community across our great nation. Thank you for the work you did in your community. And ah, this one story in particular, is such a lesson to us all, yes? The American myth of the maverick and "self-made" man continues to harm many of us. Alone, most of us cannot make it - financially or emotionally. But those who retain family units, and this is particularly true of immigrants, who continue to live together as multi-generation homes, may not have the same luxuries that most of us can't imagine living without (multiple bathrooms, individual bedrooms), yet they know someone always has their back. We must do better.
Thank you for this, Jan. A reminder that we can do much better at taking care of one another. As individuals, we are much better off when all of us are thriving.
Yes! And thriving is actually not that complicated, right? Home, healthcare, education, and food. The current conditions in our valley seem almost criminal to me. Basic food items that cost a full one to two dollars more here than they do 60 miles away. It didn't used to be like that. And housing is just as expensive as in LA for heavens sake. It's crazy. We can't continue to have basic services for the upper class if the middle and lower class can't afford to live here. - sorry for the rant - I know you feel the same way.
Love this Jan! You know as I read the stories I imagined them being filmed… :)
AMEN, MY DEAR COUSIN, AMEN!!!!! You don't know what someone's story is until you ask, and not enough of us do that. It doesn't have to be a lot, just do something to help. When I was working in the clinic, we go so much formula given to us by the companies that it would expire, so when there were families struggling to buy the expensive stuff, I passed it out like candy. Nothing should go to waste. It wasn't much but they were so grateful. My dad used to fix shoes for a living and before he quit, he used to say that we are a throw away society, and he is right. We throw away things we don't need instead of giving them to someone who could use it. We are failing the needy in this country, especially those you are contributing to the world by going to work every day and trying to better themselves. The people with pride end up getting the wrong end of the stick.
Indeed - we are far too much of a throw away society these days. Sure, some of that is due to people and having money that can afford waste, but I also believe it is the result of corporate greed. No one can survive without a phone or computer these days. (well some can without the latter, but only if they have a smartphone) and yet these things are not built to last. This seems absolutely insane to me! I understand that technology changes but still... even our cars, we no longer have rubber bumpers. Shoes and clothing and sheets and other goods fall apart. I purchase expensive shoes (because of problems with my feet) and have had many resoled multiple times. But in the last decade or so, it is increasingly hard to find a cobbler. I took a pair of Tom's boots to one (the only one we could find in a 100 mile radius) and he said that unfortunately, if he restitched them, they would just fall apart again b/c of where the crease was. What?? He's right - we can both see he's correct - and we're distressed as heck cuz Tom really loves those boots and they weren't cheap. Alas.
Of course you gave away the formula like candy! God bless you. It is SO expensive and yet the companies could afford to give away tons of it to doctors but they wouldn't consider just lowing the price of it for the public. Agh!!!!! (love you)