shmal

Hmm, 3000 characters about myself. Maybe I am 3000 characters.AFter living for almost 70 years, can I believe that, I"m trying to adapt almost every day. What is first up with me is that this month I drove solo across country, from Florida to Seattle, 5000 miles, circuitous, to be close to my 3 year old grandson and my son and my son's girlfriend. HEre I am. I've been a social worker most of my adult life, working in many programs with a wide variety of those needing some assistance in life. It has been a fulfilling life so far and it should continue. For the past five years I've been working, helping homeless people with a group, a cadre, of friends, strangers who became friends,maybe were' all that, serving food and offering services to the homeless. It turned into a paid work for me, finding housing for 15 mentally ill homeless people and being their case manager. Two graduate students in video documentary did their thesis on my program: "It's a Sh'mal World."It was while doing this work that I had an epiphany while at the airport going to my grandson's 2end birthday last year, that he was more important to me than my homeless friends, or I guess, all my friends from living in Gainesville, Fl. the past 23 years. Hmm. That just came to me. Yes, I left behind many people I've worked with on social and political and spiritual issues over the years. I've been a bit of a multi-purposed activist. Is this good, continuing writing about myself. I have five children, who now at least I can be with one, since they are scattered across the States. I'm a freelance writer of essays for the local paper in Gainesville and had a bit of a following, since they printed almost all i submitted on social issues: health care, homeless, environment, stuff that's been important, and that Ode magazine is doing. Maybe that's why I'm loving my first subscription to Ode. Where was it or I in my life before. Cared for both my parents in my home before they died. Oh yeah, wrote a book about caring for my mother: "Experiencing Being: Caregiving my Mother, A Son's Story." Oh, that's enough.