While I was homeless, I never begged, I never pushed a shopping cart, and I never spent time with other homeless people. Had I not been so anti-social, I could have accepted help from a women’s shelter, and socialized with other homeless women. (Of course, had I not been mentally ill, I could have accepted help from my loving family).

Now that I am not homeless anymore, I find a passion inside my heart to better understand homeless people. I especially want to spend time with homeless people who are able to accept help from shelters, who do have friends, and who socialize normally with other people.

Over the last few years, I have had the privilege of volunteering with the homeless at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in downtown Cincinnati. I especially like volunteering at Christmas. You never know who you are going to meet at Prince of Peace! Before I begin speaking to people, I do not know who is homeless, who is volunteering, and who is just enjoying the community. Each person attending has a different life story.

The picture above: this year, someone donated over twenty pies for our Christmas dinner! I’m helping this man get them organized. Of course, we’re doing the easy work while the ladies slave away in the kitchen! To right: If you feel down, this is the guy you will want to talk to! He will always cheer you up.

This is Sara. She is an amazing cook. What we would we do without her? I have been helping her and other volunteers cook Thanksgiving and Christmas meals (over a hundred people at a time) for a few years. But she’s been doing it at Prince of Peace for a decade!

To the right: I’ve caught him on camera, finally! This man plays the piano very well. We all enjoy it when he plays Christmas carols for us by memory.

When I am at Prince of Peace, I remember how I was not a typical homeless person. I was a drug-free and alcohol-free young woman who published articles in scientific journals. I played the violin at a professional level. But I became homeless anyway. I remember Christmases I lived through while I was homeless, including one Christmas I spent sitting alone in a park.

(I am at left, during our big dinner on Wednesday the 17th). During the holidays, I am especially grateful for my recovery from schizophrenia. Because of a medication I take every day, I no longer want to be homeless. I have graduated from college, and now, I love spending time with friends and family. At Christmas, and during the whole year, I want to remember these unique, special people who are homeless. They have become homeless for so many different reasons, including mental illness.