In 2015, my wife @MediKatie and I were taking care of my dying grandmother in her home. My grandfather had died several years earlier and the home and gardens required a lot of care.
Bumblebees collect nectar on a delphinium blossom in my grandmother's back garden, 2015.
At the start of 2016, my grandma fell in the kitchen, and died the next day. After the funeral, MediKatie and I were both physically ill and mourning, and soon found ourselves homeless. The property was quickly sold, fetching millions in the superheated Vancouver housing market. We and our possessions were tossed out of the house my family had owned for generations.
Our experiences dealing with the Vancouver housing crisis (which is related to the Syrian refugee crisis and the Chinese fraudulent money crisis) are well documented online. Let me know if you want some links.
In all we spent over 2 years without a stable home, we lost our savings and many of our belongings, our long-term health was compromised, and we got quite demoralized. We got scammed by predatory landlords, attacked multiple times by police, stolen from (sometimes BY the police), and discriminated against for not having a home. We didn't eat well, or enough, and didn't get the medications we need to stay healthy. That's when Katie's symptoms flared up, but we didn't find out until recently it was cancer again. I still haven't spoken with my family after being betrayed like that.
More than once, each of us came close to death, which probably would have been a death sentence for the other.
And now?
8 months after literally sleeping on cold pavement with empty stomachs, we are here:
It might not look like much, but that's a brand new bed and air conditioner. We haven't slept on a proper bed in years, and haven't been able to control our living conditions either, so both of these are HUGE for us!
The bed means more rest/sleep in less time, less back pain, and more energy. The AC is important because the one thing this apartment doesn't have is protection from the hot afternoon sun.
This comfort upgrade, on top of the security upgrades and location upgrades, really has us counting our blessings. We NEVER thought we would be homeless, ever. We came from middle-class families that loved us. But everything changes. In 8 months, you could be totally homeless and ruined. Or you could be living your wildest dreams. Or dead. Nothing lasts forever, nothing good, and nothing bad. Remember that.
MediKatie and I are working hard for these positive changes. We count our blessings every day, and always keep working toward better times, while having a little fun with it along the way. So don't give up, always believe there are good things possible for you, and remember that nothing lasts forever.