Meet Cathy

The portrait story project I’ve been working on these past months now has a name!

This is My Story: Women and Homelessness

and we’re already working on the book! as well as upcoming art show/events later this year to which you will be invited! The original art story portraits are now hanging on a rotational basis in the dining room at The Living Room (TLR),  so that the participants can get to see them and know each others’ stories better. They gather round in excitement when the new ones are hung!

I met Cathy first in the Meditation Group at TLR and instantly wanted to know her better. I’m sure you would too. Her story is directly related to the 2017 firestorms. I’ve had to abridge it to fit it onto the page, but here’s the gist of it.

One part of Cathy’s story that I couldn’t fit on the art piece was what she said about her large extended family  in this area (almost all of whom lost their homes in the fire): “My upbringing was in an Italian immigrant family where, because of the cultural experience of loving, caring, and compassion, we made a solemn promise to never abandon each other, to always take care of each other.” And then the firestorm tested the human limits of that promise, though they are still doing their best.