"How do you pick up the pieces of your life when so much evil has been done to you? Where do you begin again?" These poignant words from Frodo Baggins resonate deeply with the human experience of navigating profound loss and seeking a path forward.
Many have inquired about the events that irrevocably altered the lives of my parents and myself, and it is with a sense of reflection that I offer another glimpse into that challenging period.
Our family home, the anchor of our lives since April 1971, was lost in March 2007. This marked the beginning of a period of instability, with multiple relocations for my parents and myself. In 2009, I moved my parents to Las Vegas, where my father sadly passed away shortly after. The subsequent financial hardship left me briefly homeless before I managed to secure a small apartment for my mother and myself. My mother, after enduring further health challenges, passed away in September 2011.
Facing renewed homelessness in Las Vegas, a compassionate friend offered support, providing a temporary lifeline. However, the desire to return to Arizona eventually led me to Tucson in 2013, where I navigated a period of homelessness before finding transitional housing through the Primavera Foundation. After seven months, I moved into a small studio apartment at the Alamo Apartments, a hard-won stability.
However, the stability found at the Alamo Apartments was temporary. When the time came to renew my lease in June of 2014, a significant rent increase was proposed – from 30% of my income to a staggering $500.00 per month. This amount would have consumed the majority of my limited funds, making it an unsustainable situation. Faced with this impossible choice, I made the difficult decision to vacate the apartment, once again placing my belongings back into storage.
Knowing the brutal Arizona summer heat would make homelessness in Tucson even more perilous, I made a bold and perhaps unexpected decision. With my camping gear loaded onto my back, I sought out the entrance to the Arizona Trail from Tucson and began to walk north towards Utah.
Did I, against all odds, manage to traverse the entire distance back to Flagstaff? Well, that is a story for other blog posts, tales from a challenging period that might just surprise you...
Yours as always,
Captain Hedges
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