Reseña del libro "Gotta Find a Home 4: More Conversations on the Streets (Volume 4) (en Inglés)"
Can you find a secure shelter for the night? Have you experienced intense hunger? Are you a regular victim of verbal, emotional or physical abuse? Read the conversations I have had with people who are hungry, homeless and at risk. This book continues the conversations from Book 3, although it can also stand alone. Readers of the previous books will learn how these characters have fared since their last reading. New readers will be introduced to a group of friends who, for the past seven years, has accepted me as part of their street family. The royalties from sales of these books go directly to those forced onto the streets or to Ottawa Innercity Ministries, Street Outreach program. To date $1745.00 has been donated to those in need of food or other assistance. Visit Dennis Cardiff's Goodreads Author Page at buff.ly/2DFu6pm where readers have kindly given 90 ratings (4.38 average) and 51 text reviews.In the past I've been unemployed, my wife and I were unable to pay our mortgage and other bills, we went through bankruptcy, lost our house, my truck. Being in my fifties, my prospects looked dim. It could have been me, on the sidewalk, in their place. I was told not to give money to panhandlers because they'll just spend it on booze. I thought to myself, What should I do, if anything? What would you do? I asked for advice from a friend who has worked with homeless people. She said, 'The woman is probably hungry. Why don't you ask her if she'd like a breakfast sandwich and maybe a coffee?' That sounded reasonable, so the next day I asked, "Are you hungry? Would you like some breakfast, perhaps a coffee?" "That would be nice," she replied. When I brought her a sandwich and coffee she said to me, "Thank you so much, sir. You're so kind. Bless you." I truly felt blessed. Some panhandlers look intimidating, but that disappears when one sees them laugh.Most afternoons, depending on the weather, I walk two blocks from my work to the park where the group of panhandlers varies in size from two to twenty or more. They don't panhandle at the park; that is a place for rest, recuperation, socializing, perhaps drinking a beer or sharing a joint. Like a soap opera, every day is different; some scenarios will carry over a few days or weeks. People will disappear for weeks or months due to illness, rehab programs or incarceration.When I met Joy I was going through an emotional crisis. Meeting her and her friends - worrying about them and whether or not they would be able to eat and find a space to sleep - took my mind off my problems that, then, seemed insignificant. It was - is - truly a life changing experience.
