Nomadland and Understanding Houseless Living
Recently, I viewed the the movie, Nomadland.
It was a somber, relatable must see.
One quote that is especially true for us and for our houseless friends.
"There are no final goodbyes, just I'll see you down the road. And I do, I see them down the road."
This is so true!! In the movie, Fern could be any of us. Her life dramatically changed when she lost her husband. So, she chose to live the life of a Nomad. Her journey is at times very sad but also joyful and humorous.
We have served for almost 4 years, and there are times we see people down the road that we hadn't seen for months. You never know when someone is going to walk back into your life. I love that!
God is building relationships and we are blessed beyond words.
Recently, I read a Harvard study about relationships. They discovered that healthy relationships are the biggest factor in predicting happiness and health. The most significant determining factor for your joy is good relationships.
If we surround ourselves with the people God wants us to be with, we will very likely experience a deeper sense of joy. This is true even with the lives of street people. They are enriched in ways we don't understand. They may not all be healthy, and life is not easy, but with certain folks a sense of joy exists in spite of the living situation.
For example, this week I witnessed a sense of Joy in giving:
A friend that lives part time in a tent and part time in a basement gave me a $50 bill. He was looking at the Hope Farm Inc. brochure and we were discussing the differences between this non-profit and others who visit the camps. (He wanted to donate to a non-profit that feeds him every week).
It was a great chat, and at the end my friend K gave me the money and said ,“use this to help people.”
A few days later another friend also gave, $50 to Hope Farm and then asked me to send another $50 to a friend in jail.
I am amazed at the hearts of generosity the two houseless men shared.
It was a joy for me to witness.
As we say, “See you down the road.”
Peace & Love,
Georgann
