I am a whole host of desires, but I want for nothing….

—So says the woman who holds the Universe within Her heart…or man.

It is your choice to live a rich man’s life, just as much as it is your choice to live a poor man’s life. You may not be financially or economically blessed with a fortune of notes, or dollars right now, but does that truly stop you from appreciating or enjoying the life that you have, the memories you’ve made, the experiences you’ve gained, the knowledge you’ve acquired, or the lessons you’ve learned…

In the heat of summer 2015, I met a homeless* woman, Love J, back home in Sapponī country—she was a high-spirited gift to the aching heart. We shared two things in common aside from the melanin in our DNA and the fact that we were both women—we both had a desire to get back to the Maryland Republic, I for Frank and Her to resume her once sufficient real-estate practice. The other—no matter our circumstances we both liked to bathe or shower each morning, put on a pair of earrings and a touch lipstick at least.

At the time, I did not have cash on me, and she did not ask for any—we just so happened to meet in the produce section of the local WalMart, where she was browsing bananas with her shopping cart, aka her house-on-the-go. I believe our conversation began over the lack of care taken in regards to the produce section, and how expensive it was to prioritize healthy living on a low-income budget. Somewhere between bananas, budgets. diabetes and potassium deficiencies, we ended up in the same self-checkout line—both trying to escape the unforgiving WalMart checkout unscathed by time. She was ahead of me and so, of course, she stepped up to check out first. She had 3 bananas and a hotplate from the deli. From my vantage point, right before she reached to slide the bananas to the side of the aisle I felt her dilemma in my spirit… she did not have enough. With no regards as to if I even had the funds I needed in my checking account, my heart guided me forward before my mind could react—and suddenly I was standing next to her. I told her to scan her bananas, asked if she needed something to drink because the bottle she had propped up on her cart was near empty; she grabbed a bottle of water, I swiped my card—and for the next almost half-hour we stood and talked.

Love J said sometimes we are meant to be angels to one another, even when we don’t yet know how or why. And ‘though she was down on her luck and could not always say where her next meal was coming from or which rest stop she would shower at she never wanted to be looked at as a victim because faith had always provided for her. Ironically, the low market price of real estate had led her back to Sapponī country in hopes of doing some house-flipping, but she admitted that she had underestimated the reach of the depression in the housing market, and moved on impulse. Despite the fact that her hasty decisions had basically bankrupted her financially, she learned so much in the process, she learned from her mistakes, and she was still studying real-estate even while searching for a means to an estate of her own. She declared the road had been rough, and she knew she wasn’t a spring chicken, but she still gets dressed up the best she can and goes about her day making ends meet and saving what she can because her dream was to make it back on her feet, go back into real estate and get back to her business this time to help others like herself.

You see, aside from her house-on-the-go shopping cart, if you met Love J on the street and stopped for a casual conversation you’d never assume she was homeless or anything close. She wasn’t dressed in fancy clothes, nor did she have on expensive jewelry, but Love J simply knew her worth and took care of herself. She insisted that she desires others to know that your circumstances don’t define you. What defines you is your ability and determination to hold your head up high and keep moving forward despite all adversity, so that you can be someone else’s beacon of hope.

♥♥♥ Love J, you gave me hope. I pray you are forever well—until we meet again Biwaha ♥♥♥

Still, to this day her name is saved in the contacts of my phone, because she encouraged me to face life boldly, and always live and love harder than my circumstances.

I hope this reflection finds you well even if you’re in a time of struggle, and I pray it resonates deep within your soul my Loves. Moments like these I tend to hoard for one reason or another, but this one has swelled inside of me for almost two years now, and it was way passed time to share the light and love it gave me to see someone seemingly at rock bottom living on top of the world.

w/ unvanquishable love always,

—♥Egypt


*Homelessness — If home is where the heart is…can you truly be homeless? …Shelterless perhaps.