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Welcome.

No Bread Today started out as my "sanity journal," so I could keep a level head and a sense of humour throughout a personal financial crisis. Facing illness, unemployment, poverty (I ran out of money), and the terror of homelessness, I reached out for emotional support by blogging, and support came. No Bread Today has now evolved into something far beyond me. It is a haven and a resource for others in the same or similar circumstances. I will keep writing my own experiences with a chuckle, so enjoy the posts, but I have also added links to emergency resources and a list of places where you can get free meals and inexpensive groceries for low income residents on the Lower Mainland. As I uncover more resources, I'll keep listing them here (scroll down to page bottom to view) and on twitter. With the ecomony being what it is, sadly, there are many of us struggling. Hopefully, No Bread Today will a give you a hand-up. If anyone can add to these lists, please do. If you appreciate what you read here, please share this blog with others, because someone always knows someone, who knows SOMETHING that can make all the difference.

With profound gratitude to those who have been so amazingly supportive so far, and who have given so much of themselves - not out of guilt or any self-serving interest, but purely out of love, compassion and generosity. You are my inspiration. My intentions remain: I am not seeking financial assistance of any kind from this blog. I simply hope this becomes a story of triumph, for all who share it. I hope you laugh as hard as I do. I hope No Bread Today is as inspirational and empowering for you, as it is for me. I hope people will relate, inform, and chime in. I hope I can help you, in return. If this welcome message is the only thing you read, I ask only that if you are able, please donate to your local food bank. People are hurting right now and they need you. Thanks! ~ Jo Bless.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

The fight within me.

After I wrote this tonight, quite a departure from my usual, I thought it might best be shared on homelessnation.org. I posted it there first, but I will share it with my readers here as well:

I don't think this will make sense to anyone but me, but I'll write it anyway. Sometimes all we have to play with are the words we seek to describe the contents of our own minds - these notions, spilling like rivers onto a screen or a page. What we offer, in the end, is a guided tour of our soul. In the middle of the rapids, we sometimes surprise ourselves; we suddenly realize, stop and declare, "Hey! I didn't know that!"

I have had a few revelations tonight. Too personal to write of and too many to name, but the bottom line is, "everything within me has to change." My concept of myself and the world around me, the solitude I won't allow anyone to penetrate and, above all, the idea that I am "stuck" in my ways. I have a clearly-defined image of what life will bring me, and it dawned on me tonight that it's a murky one. How can I manifest what I secretly don't believe in? So, starting now, I am going to imagine myself in primary colours, the superhero palette of red, yellow and blue, and enter the octagon of the Ultimate Fighter.

My battle is with myself, specifically, my own inability to picture myself as WHO I want to be in my life. Not where, not when, but who. There is some sort of fear of success going on inside me. Not fear of failure, but of actually doing well. When did I allow myself to become such a disbeliever? That's another question. I only know this: no one took it from me, I robbed it from myself. And only I have the power to give it back.

3 comments:

  1. And always remember this:
    YOU are the greatest miracle in the World.

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  2. I don't know you well, Jo, but from what I've seen, I know this: you can do this...and I look forward to hearing about it! :)

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  3. Jo--after reading through your entire Blog three times, this is by far one of my favorite entries!! You are such a gifted writer and you write so authentically from the heart. God Bless you and I know that GREAT things are in store for you my friend:) Jazz

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