dreamdress's reply history at Help.com

Wow. I was so surprised to find this in my email this morning. This original post was almost a year ago and things have changed a lot for the better with us. We now have enough money to pay our bills, none left over but we feel blessed. My health has improved quite a bit. I am back to excerising I do still have PRP, but it somewhat in remission. I have it still on my chest, but compared to the way I felt when I wrote this, my health is a lot better. Life is good.

Thanks to all of you who prayered for us. Prayer does work. : ) We are living proof. I lost my darling little dog but he was 14 and I am just blessed to have him as long as we did.
Today, as I type this, it is a beautiful day. Filled with Sunshine and those beautiuful little pink flowers that just appear out of nowhere this time of year, are laying like a blanket over my back yard. Thank you God. You gave us a beautiuful world. No matter what our circustance, Sunshine and flowers are free.

You could also check around and offer to be live in companion to someone who is bedridden in exchange for a place to stay. Maybe a little light housework or cooking might be involved. Check the want ads. I see these ads sometimes.

If you drive and have a car, you can offer to do shopping for others who can’t get out to do it or those who are too busy. They give you thier list and you pick it up and deliver it for them. Make up flyers and pass them out to advertise. All you need here is gas..Yeah, I know it is expensive today, but it is a thought.

If there was time, you could make plant starts from flowers and sell them when they got a good start. All you need for that is containers, like tine cans, etc,,,and some soil…and talk people into giving you plant cuttings.

I’m just throwing this out there. You may not be able to use it, but someone else reading this, may. Good luck to you. This is something most poverty stricken women like me, worry about a lot too.

You can try the Salvation Army. They help sometimes as in your case. Also try your local churches. Some of them help out in certain cases too. You could have a garage sale, if you have anything of value to sell. Or if you are a sewer, you could take in some sewing to do. Offer to do cleaning or ironing around your neighborhood. Offer to walk dogs if you are not afraid of them. If you are a good cook, offer to cook for people. My DH smokes and bar b q’s for people and sells the meat. If you are a healthy, there is a lot you can do. Just think outside of the box.

If you have an active ATM or credit card, you can try selling some things on eBay. I use to sell books. But you must have a credit card to put on file for them. A lot of things do pretty well. You can get free boxes to mail in from the post office. Free tape to use in packing. Use old newpapers to wrap things in.

Well, you probably have more published songs than I have. I have twelve published. So let him take your advise. But the days of gangsta and violence are coming to an end. It is time for a more positive country. Violent songwriters are responsible for a lot of bad news in this country today. We need more positive role models. I am encouraging him to use his no doubt, great talent, for good and not bad. Put out a positive message and you will get back positive. Nothing ever returns void. It always bring back to you what you put out there.

You need to find a more positive group of friends to hang around. Like is a banquet and you are starving to death. Get some fresh air and sunshine. Life is beautiful, not morbid. : ) Write an upbeat, positive song. Don’t be a part of this nation’s problems. Be the solution. I am a songwriter and violence is not in my agenda. Write about love and great achievements, write about helping others, Get to know Bono types.

How about just walking up to her and say, “Look I like you, would you like to go for a cup of coffee”? Amazing how that works. All a girl wants is to be respected and treated in a freindly way. They are exactly like you.

If you have no one you can borrow the money from, like a friend or relative, then call the Salvation Army or check with local churches. They may be able to help you. Try to get an extension from your Landlord if all else fails. They may put your bill off a little while to give you a chance to find the money. Especially if you have not been behind before on your bill..Good luck! and God Bless you. $600 sure sounds like a lot of money for one month’s rent. Wow. You must have a nice place.

Well first off, Are you a Christian? God will respond to his children but if you are not saved, I wouldn’t look on this as a sign. But don’t dismiss a good girl either. She might very well be for you. Obviouly you were hoping to find a sign so you must like her. I would say get to know her and see if the feelins grow. Time will tell you wheather or not to pursue this realtionship.

Volunteer to help others. In being a friend to those in need, you may find your own need is met. At 24, you are young and healthy and there is no reason to lead an empty life. If you don’t want to help others, then then help yourself. If you are at a dead end job you don’t like, consider taking a pay cut and find something you would like to do, even if it is something you might think is below you. Money does not bring happiness. Family and friends bring you happiness and finding something you feel passionate about. You are so young, you probably haven’t tried many things yet. Jump in and try new things. Go to places you would not normally go. IF you have never been to church, go to church. You will find friends there and you just might find the answer to all your questions about life. You can work yourself out of this rut if you try. Get your butt in gear and stop feeling sorry for yourself.

I am 64, have a rare disease called PRP, and my husbands and I are dirt poor. But that does not define me. I am happy and you can be to. Take control of your life, Now. Happiness come from within not from outside influences. The sooner you learn that, the better. You have the whole world ahead of you and time on your side. You can do it. Get and there and make it better. Surrond yourself with postive people too. That really helps. Find somethng to laugh at each day. Laughing is so good for you. Go to a funny movie, eat at a new place..new is what you are looking for. Stop the same old things you have been doing. They are not working for you. Good Luck!

I am 64 years old, have a devastating disease called PRP. It is rare, there is no help and no cure. IT won’t kill me, it just makes me itch and hurt most of the time. But I am not complaining. I am alive. I have a husband who I think loves me. At least he seems to. I have three cats and a dog and I know they love me and they bring me joy. I can’t get outside a lot but when I can, I am out that door into God’s sunshine and fresh air. I try to garden the best I can. I pulled it off pretty good this year, got everything done but some of the final harvest. I didn’t have the energy to get it in. OH, well, rabbits and birds and little insects enjoyed the remains.

We are below the poverty level, but I cook from scratch when I feel like it and we still have some good things to eat while not gourmet, it is good basic food. Jobs are getting hard to find for my husband. We just had to borrow money to pay our light bill but God blessed us with the sale of an old truck we had, so we are able to pay that back right away. I don’t know where tomorrow’s money for bills is coming from if a job doesn’t turn up soon for us. I guess we will lose our cable. It is the only entertainment we have and the only frivolous bill. So if things get worse, the cable, which means Internet and TV will have to go. But I have plenty of books and I love to do crafts and sewing and Billy likes to bbq, even hot dogs and hamburgers taste better when you make a party out of it. He also enjoys fishing, which he hasn’t done in some time.

So that is my life…It is not pretty or a great life by most standards but we seem to be happy for the most part. We have learned to roll with the punches and there have been many in our lives. You may be sick, you may be poor, but you don’t have to be unhappy about it. Their are people who are worse off then you are. Just look around and be grateful. If you are alone, find someone. Go to places where other people go, like church or festivals,,volunteer…..that sort of thing. You are not the only one who feels alone. Go find someone else who needs a friend. Be a friend to others. It will come back to you.
And I think getting a pet is a wonderful loving thing to do. The SPCA has to put to sleep so many beautiuful loving, animals every year. I don’t know how I would have made it without the constant visits into my room of my darling pets. They cheer me up considerably and make me laugh.
I know this is long, but I just wanted you to know that in the midst of defeat, you can still be happy if you choose to be. But the most important thing, that gives me comfort is, if I leave this world today, I will go to be with Jesus. No preaching to you but you might want to think about that. Billy and I celebrate our anniversary on the 29th of this month. Our 36th. Say a prayer for us, if you pray.