9. Exploring a Journey of Gratitude: “I want to keep waking up every day, I
want to see more of the world, I want to be alive and discover more of what I
can give to my life and the lives of others, I want to explore a Journey of gratitude
– Maria Sheridan
This gives me the opportunity to share with you some of the emotions I have experienced so far on my journey of Gratitude:Every day when I wake up and take my first breath and I am aware of it, I am grateful for a new day to improve on the last. We all make choices some good some indifferent so it’s great to be blessed with a new beginning every day. The mere fact I can see, hear, smell, taste, walk, have the use of my hands etc. fills me full of Gratitude. My faith, the Church I attend and for the people within that environment who are a great support to me, they are a lifeline. I am so Grateful for that. My amazing family, the fact my parents both are still alive. My wonderful Sister and Brother-in-law, they gave me my Nephew and Niece. My Beautiful Daughter (Who is serving a Mission for our church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints often referred to as the Mormon Church…… I’m not a Mormon though I’m a Christian and grateful to be), whom has been my constant and if she was the only purpose for me being here then I’d do this all for her over and over. My friends near and those of my friends that I know are present even though the miles separate us, I am truly grateful for them, their support and patience are insurmountable. I love you all. I have amazing supportive friends on my Facebook page, lots of people I have yet to meet and I have met some amazing and wonderful people to date, that if it weren't for Facebook I may never have had the honor. I am truly grateful for these amazing people. I am always truly grateful for every opportunity that comes my way. I am truly grateful for the experience of exploring lots of different avenues even the dead ends. My possibilities for the future are something I like to be grateful for. Whilst the world around us can get a bit crazy betimes and may even throw us off a little, when I focus on the possibilities of my future husband, my future environment, my friends that I’ll take with me, the traveling I will do, new friends I will make along the way the list is just endless and very exciting. I love having an attitude of Gratitude. Life is for living and you can only experience true living by HAVING and POSSESSING an attitude of Gratitude. “YOU CAN DO THIS”!
EXCERPTS from my Journal.
10th November 2012
I just had this memory as I was leaving my parents’ home just now. It was
freezing cold in the January /February evenings during my Bout of Homelessness
just as it is tonight. I'd get on the bus in the evening haven eaten a
delicious meal. Then I'd catch the bus in Cabra West the 122 and get off in
O'Connell Street, walk down Talbot Street past the drug traders and into Amiens
Street to my temporary accommodation. I did this for over a Month. Tonight I
get the 122 and then I take the Luas/Tram home. If you have ever experienced
homelessness then you will appreciate how joyous this is. I AM SO GRATEFUL and
don't anyone tell me there is no god because I KNOW there is!! Thanks Mum n Dad
for all your support. I know it was as painful for you as it was for me.
16 November 2012
I'm sitting here in my apartment, no TV on, no Radio and no music. All I
hear is the sound of Traffic outside I have just been speaking to my mum who
heard on the TV about a homeless man that was interviewed, he was told there
are no beds left in Hostels tonight, I'm thinking two ways maybe he's better
off on the streets also I'm thinking how Blessed I am on a cold damp evening to
have my home. I'm so grateful! Spare a thought for the Homeless and do what you
can to help.
18 November 2012
Coming up to Christmas everyone starts to see how fortunate or unfortunate
they may be, the fortunate ones think of charities they can support and some
people truly go out of their way to help but not all do. The unfortunate deal
with their plight in various ways sometimes even turning to crime. What are the
Government doing to help? I'm not sure there is anything of great significance
at all being done? We know that Homeless people don't even have a basic right
to even vote. It's been established that not
all homeless people are addicts or have mental health problems etc. and yet nothing is being done to accommodate. Does homelessness breed criminals? You bet it does. Does it cause
perfectly sane people to break down? Absolutely
it does. Does it turn good people bad? It has done.
I'm a pretty strong person. I'm actually more than pretty strong. Looking back
in retrospect I'm a walking miracle. I'm grateful for my strength and I'm
grateful to have the opportunity to write about my experiences. This Christmas
will be a great one for myself, family and friends. But for others not so good.
WE have to take responsibility THE GOVERNMENT HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.
23 November 2012
It's a cold brisk Morning in Dublin city but I can't help smile as I think
upon the week I have had, it warms me inside to know there are great people out
there in the world that do care and do want to help and go out of THEIR way to
do so. I sat in Eason’s on O'Connell street this morning and had a Hot Choccy,
I was imagining and visualising my book on the stands, I was visualising me
signing copies and I was visualising the many people that it will help if
anything to make aware and to be grateful for what you have and not focus on
what you don’t have.
29 November 2012
I can't really explain why I have this feeling of peace at the moment. I
feel so at ease almost to the state that I'm not in control but in a good way.
I feel like I'm surrounded by a force field. I have only felt this safe a
couple of other times in my life and it was as powerful then as it is today,
enough that I recognise I'm being blessed. So to answer the question that was
posed to me “how did I become homeless”? I
take full responsibility of course I do. It all happened so fast, decisions
where being made, I had no control over it seemed and before I knew I was in
the Divorce courts having agreed to sign over my part of the family home to my
now ex-husband. I stayed with friends, it wasn't working for me I'm so independent
and I knew a decision had to be made. My savings were depleting and the work
coming in was sparse I was losing more of myself every day. On the 11th January 2012 I signed on the
Homeless register.
Simon Community resident Phil sings "Faith" with Glen Hansard, Lisa Hannigan & Friends
I was homeless -- now I'm acting in movies with Anne
Hathaway... by my good friend Glen Gannon
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