today was a better day than yesterday. i had a telephone interview with a woman named karen b. from the department of transitional assistance. it took all of five minutes. basically she asked me to confirm everything that i had written on my application. afterwards she said she required certain papers, those being a statement of finances, a rent statement, and proof of occupancy (a piece of mail with my name and current address on it) as well as my i.d. . she said i could mail them to her, or drop them by the office. i said i would rather bring them in as that would expedite the process. i think she was a bit surprised at my use of the term “expedite”. i made an appointment for 2:00 that afternoon.
so i went for a walk in the rain to the dta office, which luckily is only about fifteen minutes away, for what i thought was going to be yet another interview for obtaining food stamps. after checking in at the main desk i sat in what was a rather full waiting room expecting a lengthy wait ahead of me. but at precisely 2:00 my name was called. i met karen b., a rather nice young woman, in the hall, expecting us to go into an office of some sort. but it was there in the hall that she said to me “whatcha got?” it took me a moment to realize what she meant. i handed over the two statements i had written as well as my proof of residence and my state i.d. she looked everything over quickly, photocopied my i.d. and directed me to a window to pick up my card. after she told me where to go, i held out my hand and said thank you. she paused for a moment and then shook my hand and said “you’re welcome”. i had the feeling this was not something that she regularly encountered during the course of her job. i went over to the window, got my card and then left. the whole process took less than ten minutes, and i shall have the benefits on my card by friday. quick and easy.
but the real reason i was in a better mood was that last night after posting on my blog, i sent a message requesting storage help from a couple of other people, quite honestly not expecting any replies. but within a short time i received a reply from someone that i do not really know that well.
paul k. works for the local food bank distribution center and stopped at the grocery store i worked, several morning a week, to pick up food which was not sellable but still edible to deliver to local food pantries. a nice congenial man always with a smile, quite the opposite to my humorous curmudgeonly personality. we got along like salt and vinegar on chips.
he told me that even though he and his wife jen, were packing up their own house as they are moving in the summer(still in the local area) they would be happy to store my things and simply take them with them when they moved to their new place, should i still not have a place to live. his caring and compassionate offer to me actually brought tears to my eyes. this man and his wife, who as i said, i don’t really know that well, were more than happy to help me out.
he and his wife are christians, seventh day adventists, to be exact. and as i told him, he and his wife epitomize what a true christian is. someone who will gladly help others when it is asked of them. i am not a christian, i consider myself agnostic, and sometimes not even that. the many others whom i asked for help and ignored my plight (well one didn’t ignore it but simply sent me the reply “breathe”) are the types who are always talking about being nice to people, and having compassion for others, offered me no help. but this kind man, who carries his beliefs not on his sleeve, but in his heart, quickly answered my call for help.
i told him that even though i don’t often talk to god, that on that night i would talk to god and thank him for the caring and compassion that he and his wife have shown me.
and i did.
to anyone who may wish to help me out, i have created a wish list at amazon.com for certain things that will be very helpful for me to have while i am homeless, but which i can not in anyway afford. you can simply select the item that you wish to donate, and it will be sent to me.
my wishlist can be found at the following link: wishlist
thank you
ironwrackdream 