I haven't been on for a while but wanted to run something by you all.
In the last couple of weeks we had a flood come through the area we live. Thankfully our house is on the side of a hill, others though are not so lucky. There's a fellow who lives down the road from us who is an alcoholic. His property is very flood prone as it's built next to the river. The water actually surrounds his house and cuts him off from the road. A few years back we had a very large flood. He had been advised by emergency workers to bail out a day or so in advance but chose not to. Instead he and his father stayed there drinking the whole time. In the end his house went under and they both had to be rescued by helicopter about 9.00 of a night time. He lost all of his animals and furniture. Fast forwarding to this time, he got stuck again. A friend had to rescue him by boat with onlookers watching. One even took a picture of him trying to get a cow across and stuck it up on a community facebook page she runs. The caption underneath was very degrading of him chastising him of not learning from past mistakes, saying he should have moved etc... I ended up writing to her privately about it of how in bad taste it was. She took it down the next day after others posted saying similar things. Yesterday I had an argument about it with my sister and brother in law. They're saying he should be shot and how useless he is and apparently a lot of the community thinks it too. I feel so sad about it. They think he lost all of his cattle, which he hasn't as they turned up down stream and are in a paddock near us. I can't be bothered to let them know, they'll just keep downing him. I guess really I'm sad about the lack of compassion for him. He has never done anything to harm them. He's a good worker and keeps to himself. There doesn't seem to be any tolerance at all around here.
The same thing happened to a lady not far from us. She was sick, a hoarder of both animals and stuff. The community turned their back on her because her cattle kept getting out as her fences weren't well maintained. She was on her own and dying from cancer at the time, bless her soul. You'ld think they'ld offer to help her but no it was the opposite. She actually passed me her al-anon literature and took me to my first meeting.
Anyway I just wanted to know your points of views about it. Maybe I'm missing something here.
The only point of view I really have is this: You don't have to worry about what the neighbors or your family think. You don't have to worry what the drunks and hoarders think. We stop fighting anyone and anything in this program. Be the person you were meant to be, surely... not a worry wart. Do what you can to be the best person you know how, and leave the rest to the HP of your understanding. If you see it in your heart to help someone... do it. If not... don't. It really doesn't matter who else is doing or thinking other things... or what they think about the things you do or think. Be true to you.... and let the peace flow in.
You didn't cause it - you can't cure it.
Best wishes, Tasha
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Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
To add to what Tasha had to share, I'd have to say that your sticking up for the 'less-fortunate' is highly commendable ... It is easy for others to take our 'inventory' and be critical of our lifestyles and/or our decisions ... Let the others take our inventories, we only have to face ourselves and God for our decisions ...
I don't know what part of the country you're in nor if you're close to larger cities or not, but there may actually be 'help' organizations for these individuals you've described here ... I might suggest you look around on the web and see if you might direct some help there way perhaps ... I don't know, maybe you've already thought of this ... it'd be interesting to know a little more about these people ... especially the one you think is 'alcoholic' ...
Bottom-line is ... ... ... you don't have to live with other people who act like the ones you portrayed above, you have to live with only yourself and your actions, or lack thereof ...
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Thank you for your story.....You are evidence of HEALTH!!! The 12th Step prayer helps...."Show me this day, what I can do for the person who is still sick"....(and often, these are the people that look good HA).....We may not be able to beat the b@#*@*$rds, but we dont hafta join 'em!
John's remark about the drunk having a more exciting story made me laugh. No one else has been rescued by a helicopter or boat around here.....rofl He wouldn't even know what's going on now behind the scenes lol...
