You are not a “Bum”, You are a Person

This is the most important post I think I will ever write.

I want every person who has experienced homelessness or any form of suffering to take these words and cherish them.

I wish somebody would have said this to me at my weakest point.

By Apricot Cafe

You are not your circumstances and you are not your mistakes.

You are not the choices you made or the decisions you would change.

You are not a bum, you are a person.

You are not the missed bills or the late payments.

You are not what your mother said or what your father did.

You are not a bum, you are a person.

You are not the needle marks in your arm or the medication in your pocket.

You are not the one more drink you said you wouldn’t have.

You are not a bum, you are a person.
You are not the things you’ve had to do to survive.

You are not the night you slept on the street.

You are not a bum you are a person.

You are not the names they yell as you pass by.

You are not what they see you as in their eye.

You are not a bum you are a person.

We all have the same 24 hours and we all have one life.

You are not hopeless.

You are not ignored and you are not invisible.

By Apricot Cafe

Oldies But Goodies

http://martyrbenrauf.blogspot.com Benrauf

I too wish anyone ever said this to me during my weakest point.
http://www.thehomelessgirl.com homelessgirl

Hey Benrauf. Thanks for commenting. Do you know you’re the first one to comment on the blog.

I really wanted to share this, because one day I was thinking about it and just started to write it down and share it with the world.
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http://www.doorwayproject.wordpress.com Martin Searle

Well said, HG. And good looking new site.
http://www.thehomelessgirl.com homelessgirl

Thanks Martin.
ErzulieRedEyes

Hi, i’ve never been homeless but i know that we all suffer and have troubles. I’m glad you are doing well and you made it through your hard times.
I’ll tell you what my old instructor told me:
“People in life will shit on you, walk all over you and try to break you down, don’t give up and always stay strong.”

People can call you names, call you a bum and try to de-humanize you all they want, they aren’t god, they aren’t better than you and they turn to dust just like everybody else.
Forget the nasty people and surround yourself with good people!
http://www.thehomelessgirl.com homelessgirl

ErzulieEyes, Thank you so much for your encouraging words. And thank you very much for commenting
http://www.thepavement.org.uk Val Stevenson

Thanks for putting this very much better than I could have done.
http://na teresa steen

Only by the Grace of God go I and you , too
http://www.idelette.com idelette

Beautiful. Thank you!
http://www.thehomelessgirl.com homelessgirl

Val, Teresa and Idelette, You’re welcome and thank you so much for commenting
http://thehardestwayhome.blogspot.com/ nchristiana

What can I say……. I cried. ♥
http://barrycyrus.wordpress.com Barry

I love the title, the post = very inspiring. I just graduated college and looking for a stable job right now. Good luck to me!

Your site theme is superior
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http://www.thehomelessgirl.com homelessgirl

n christiana, I’m very touched by that

Barry- thank you for noticing the theme, I was very lucky that I found it. I almost lost hope then out of nowhere I saw it, and knew it was the one!
http://www.jimmymcphee.blogspot.com Jimmy

Hi, Thought you might be interested in this poem.

Lifeline

A mongrel dog on a string
his lifeline to affection
within a community
where people turn away
from his dishevelled
and ungainly appearance
from his unshaven face
and tortured expression

He is beyond the pale
of our mammon society

Without beauty
to make him desirable
Without prestige
to make him enviable
Without money
to make him wise

He is everything
our superficial world
has need of to despise.
http://www.laboriousliving.wordpress.com LL

I was so close to being in the same position that I try to have compassion for every person I come in contact with. This is a great way to express that sentiment.
laura

appreciate your perspective. i think everyone suffers at one point or another from the words of others, or from the words others choose to hold back. It seems to me that to live a healthy life we have to know in our hearts that we are worthy… that we are more than our situations… more than our illness… more than our bad choices… more than our addictions… simply more than. Wish I could bottle this… I would call it resilience.
Patricia

Julia,

I was watching the Itasca Project video again today and then stumbled across your blog. Thank you for continuing to share your voice and helping me see the world with different eyes.
P

so sorry – I realize you aren’t Julia. But thank you for your insightful words.

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