Living Forever

  

“Don’t get old,” my grandfather warned me as a youth. Well, sorry, Grandpa!

 

At age 81, I am in denial about aging. I won’t look in the mirror, because the real me is maybe 23 years old. I fret about every little ailment, but I don’t think about death. Not gonna happen!

 

When I was co-chair of a retirement group in Washington, D.C, it was the largest organization in the church.  Half the people, including me, wanted to talk about fun things to do in retirement. The others wanted to talk about dying. Forget that!

 

If you are a 65-year-old male today, your average life expectancy is about 18 more years—or age 83. When I get discouraged, I think of the many people I knew who never made it this far, who no longer have the wonderful privilege of life itself. Sometimes I think of them when I look between the trees in winter and see a vast landscape, or see a moon shadow over a snowy field,.

 

Sure, I have a will. But how do you avoid thinking about death? You keep going like the band that was still playing music on deck as the Titanic struck the iceberg. Sing, write, bike and exercise like there is no tomorrow. I think my friends at the Silver Sneakers exercise class at the Y feel that way.

 

I have always done my best work on deadline. Trying to do all the things I have put off—the bucket list. And dropping the ones that are no longer feasible. Such as helicopter skiing!

 

Making a difference. Creating a legacy. Leaving a mark on the world when you…uh…not gonna happen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Temporary Home

We know that homelessness is on the rise. House of Hope in Danville is a nonprofit  doing something about it.

 

The faith-based homeless shelter holds up to 34 people who have no place to live.  Who are these people? Some are temporarily unhoused: for example from a house fire or violent incident. Or they can be chronically homeless, with substance abuse problems or are perhaps drifting from town to town.

 

You don’t see them sleeping on the streets. ”Rural homelessness is different than in a big city,” says Jude Swanson, executive director of the House of Hope. “It’s not what you see n TV.”

 

“Around here, many are people who work and have jobs but are just underemployed and can’t afford rent. There are some who had their rental homes sold out from under them or whose building was condemned, or who can’t pay the rent. We do have people with mentail health issues and some who have problems with drugs or alcohol.”

 

At house of Hope, about two-thirds are from Danville and Pittsylvania County. Others come from neighboring counties such as Halifax, and some have arrived from elsewhere. Many are referred by churches, hospitals or shelters that are full in other areas.

 

In Halifax County, homelessness is managed by the Tri-County Community Action Agency and the Southside Continuum of Care.

 

There are an estimated 300 homeless in the Danville-Martinsville region and another 70 In Halifax-Mecklenburg-Brunswick-Charlotte, a lot more than a few years ago.

 

Swanson, who is co-pastor at Mt. Carmel Presbyterian Church in Turbeville, says the end of pandemic-era programs pushed a lot of people out of their homes. Moratoriums ended  for rent evictions and utility payments, and rents went way up. Those who aren’t in homeless shelters are often in transitional shelters, domestic violence rescue centers or sometimes sleeping under the bridge.

 

The Danville shelter has opened “Norma’s Place,” with 16 beds on a separate floor for women and children, in addition to the 18 for men on the bottom floor in “Phil and Fran’s Place.” A section with 10 more beds for families only is planned. As an overnight shelter, the center opens its doors for check-in between 5 and 7 p.m.  and the people must leave during the day to work, look for jobs or go to various appointments. Some head for the library to look for work online. They can stay a limit of 30 days.

 

Younger children often just look at the shelter as a temporary place to stay, but older ones may have more difficulty, Swanson says. “For older kids (pre-teens and teens), it can be a little embarrassing sometimes, especially when they go to school and are with their classmates who are lucky enough to have somewhere to call their own home.”

 

Where does House of Hope get its money? Norma’s Place was built from funds the city received from federal Covid-relief funds. The rest comes from grants and community donations. Local churches often provide volunteers to supplement a staff of 14. Want to contribute? See https://danvillehoh.org/.