I read some of the stories and I'm trying to find ways to help some of the people, and at the same time, everything is a mess in my own life right now. I just spent every last dime I had to move us into a house, after the apartment we were living in evicted us because our electricity was turned off and my roommate was beaten up and left for dead by 7 people known to be in a gang here. (They weren't asked to leave though, go figure) I just couldn't go to an apartment after that, but I did find as cheap a house as I could and we moved in last week. I get disability for recurring tumors I have to have operated on and a muscular condition that keeps me from doing things as simple as turning a knob or opening a cabinet without pain, but when I can, I do work although I've never really let my physical conditions control me unless I was in the hospital or recuperating. Right now, I take care of my mother who is 74 and can't take care of herself anymore due to various health problems, actually I just had to put my mother in the hospital again because her kidneys were failing and heart problems. My daughter has tourettes and has to have constant supervision and I have to be oncall basically for if she has a meltdown at school or anywhere else. My son also has a handicapping condition in his hands which keeps him from doing many activities as simple as writing and playing video games, and then he has a severe case of adhd that seems to mimic autism in many ways. I also have an extra child that CPS left in my care because they felt he was too old to be put in the system. His brother was put in foster care though. The child living with me has changed so much after coming out of an abusive home,, living on the streets and in the woods, and though he's a big 17 year old, he's still a child in many ways and is excited just to be allowed to go to school and participate in sports. Both my own children and myself have auditory and visual processing disorders which make getting an education a nightmare. But I'm persistent. I am at their schools more than home these days. I am going to school myself right now, full time, to get a degree and I just applied to Texas Women's University to see if i can be accepted into their communication disorders program. I do get grants to help me with school and I feel thankful for that. I was denied foodstamps though and my son was in the hospital during the registration for Toys for Tots and most other programs don't help kids over 12 anyway, and mine are 13 (my daughter), 16 (my son) and 17 (my new son) ;) I do believe things will work out and I have faith that we will pull through, but you have to know, I do a bit too much pulling through, it's almost constant. Then again, I get stronger and tougher and I won't give up. I want to write the next great piece of fiction, I want to own a bookstore and I want to travel the world... so we must get past this time when sometimes it's a struggle just to get one meal on the table and just thinking about Christmas seems extravagant when our main concern should be shoes, coats, clothing, etc. Anyway... if there is anyone out there who wants to share that would be great and I would be so very grateful. I help people as much as possible, sometimes beyond what I can afford because I know we reap what we sow, and when I can, I am going to help people get on their feet, because sometimes it's a wall you don't believe you can break down because you just don't know how. To all of you who are struggling... you are in my prayers and if there is anyway I can help, I will.
