Many of you ask me how I’m doing up here in my tent. The biggest irritation so far? My finger nails are dirty. Yep, that’s the thing that’s bugging me most. Never mind that I’m in a boat surveying the puddles near my tent. Never mind the wind decimated the two tarps I have taped together to shield me. Never mind the porta potty’s broken and leaking everywhere.
MY FINGER NAILS ARE DIRTY AND I CAN’T GET THEM CLEAN! Aaaccck!
As I ponder my predicament and calm my irritation at the lack of warm, soapy water in which to wash my hands, I glance up to find four ladies climbing the ladder to my aerie. They brought me French toast. And bacon. And coffee.
I curl my fingers into my palms so they won’t see the dirt. I hope they don’t notice I’m wearing my pajamas. I haven’t brushed my teeth in 2 days (Please tell me my dentist isn’t reading this!) And my wool socks leave wet prints on the mat as I greet them.
When their stories unfold suddenly my nails don’t seem so important. Barbie and Cassie are homeless.
They brought me breakfast this morning cooked at Mary’s Place. It’s a day center for homeless women. And so much more. It’s a loving community of support. A place to remember what it was like to cook in a kitchen. A place where people look you in the eye and hug you. A place where people call you by name.
“It’s so important to be called by your name; because when you’re homeless you get called a lot of names and not necessarily your own.” This quote from formerly homeless, Mona Joyner, is from a book of portraits titled, Women of Mary’s Place. Sixteen women artists and sixteen homeless and formerly homeless women of Seattle participated. What a great heART project.
Mary’s place is where homeless and formerly homeless women and children find a safe environment to build community, find resources and develop strength to help themselves. Marcia McLaughlin, Mary’s Place, shared that in addition to direct contributions, they could use volunteers: nurses for their free health program, people to cook on Saturdays, volunteers to write a note of support to homeless women in jail. Call Marcia at (206) 228-4354.
We shared a powerful conversation this morning. Barbie and Cassie reminded me that many of us are one paycheck away from homelessness, one illness away from living in a shelter. In Snohomish county alone, we have almost 2,000 people every day who don’t have a place to sleep except the street or in their cars. I could be one of them.
Seems so trivial to worry about my dirty nails.
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Hi, I'm Carol. I'm living in a tent on the roof until 1 million people each donate $1 to the Fabric of Life Foundation and share how they are making a difference in their world.
August 12th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Thank you, Carol, for the kind words about the important work that Mary’s Place does. If you ever have the chance to visit, you will find it is a magical place, filled with stories that make many of our(those of us with homes and food) worries pretty trivia. At Mary’s Place, women are given dignity and hope, things that we all need while we are on the planet.
But, of course, you know all about dignity and hope, because that is what happens to beggers who find themselves accomplished businesswomen and artists. So thank you also for Fabric of Life and all it does.
BTW, the book, Women of Mary’s Place, was the brainchild of an artist in Edmonds, Tina Marohn. She was responsible for the idea, the gathering of the artists involved, and for its publication, as well as some of the artwork within. Edmonds appears to be full of amazing women of its own.
Good luck on the roof! Our household is spreading the word as much as possible!
August 12th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Carol — I love the website — and your enthusiasm. I wish I could sit with you. Consider me THERE in spirit!
Heather
August 12th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Another thought just occurred to me regarding the brunch Carol was served by the women of Mary’s Place.
Marcia, who was coordinating having homeless women from Mary’s serve brunch, told both clients and staff that the brunch should not be fancy, that Carol was trying to live on the kind of food that some of the world’s poor eat.
Despite those efforts, when Marcia got to Mary’s, what was prepared for Carol was a brunch of French toast and bacon, which is a treat rarely enjoyed by the women of Mary’s Place.
But then it struck me – in most of the world, food is appreciated and it is shared. And, in a show of hospitality, the best food is given to the visitor. In some cultures, if a family of four has but one egg, that egg will be given to the visitor.
The women of Mary’s Place were showing hospitatility at its best – even if it was not to a “visitor” but to a woman they had to climb a ladder to visit and offer what they could to help her in helping the world be a better place.
Hospitality. Something else this world could use a bit more of.
August 13th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
how are the donations going???next week the forcast is for warmer weather 80’s and 90’s by Tues.I check your website everyday you are in my thoughts,hang in there, you can do it Carol.
March 21st, 2010 at 12:35 am
eventhough I misuse most of my night on the internet trying to play video games like myspace poker or farmville, I nevertheless like to take some spare time to look at a number of sites occasionally and I’m fortunate to report this latest piece of writing is in truth quite good quality and really improved than half the various other rubbish I read today , anyways i’m off to play a smattering of rounds of facebook poker
July 12th, 2011 at 1:51 am
Bardzo ciekawa strona, z ciekawymi artykułami. Pozdrawiam serdecznie i życzę powodzenia w pisaniu nowych lepszych artykułów.
August 8th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
thanks for the memories lyrics bob hope