I met Dwight and Deborah in December 2015 in the week I started Souls. I share their story every Christmas Day.

“We’ve been walking for nine days and have walked over 100 miles. We are trying to get to Tennessee to see my niece. I haven’t seen her in 11 years, and I promised her I would get there. We have been homeless for a year and don’t have a car, so we are walking. We started out with $365. Everything we own is in this buggy.

I was working for a mechanic and we were sleeping in the back of a car. That worked out fine until the pay got less and less and we couldn’t live like that any more. It is expensive to live in Florida. I want to live in the mountains of Tennessee around my family and find more work. There is nothing I can’t do. I am a mechanic and can do roofing, drywall and painting.

Last night we slept on the porch of an abandoned house. It was better than sleeping in a field where the fire ants are bad. Getting a ride isn’t as easy as you would think. People read the sign and drive by. Some shake their heads at us. Some pull over, then take off when we get to the car. I was hit with diapers as a car drove by. People have thrown out candy wrappers and chip bags at us. One man asked, ‘You want this money?’ and tore it up in front of us. Other people have been kind. They gave us rides and bought us food. She has diabetes and walking is hard on her. I make sure she eats first. I have already bought three pairs of shoes at Dollar General stores because I have to take care of her and her feet. We have been walking for four hours this morning and were praying for a ride when you pulled up.”

Dwight and Deborah

(I gave Dwight and Deborah a ride to the bus station and bought their tickets to Tennessee. We had a few hours together on the drive. It was my first time talking with someone about the life on the other side of a cardboard sign-I learned a lot from Dwight and Deborah. They made it to see their niece by Christmas, but I never heard from them again. Before they boarded the bus, Deborah gave me their sign as a Christmas gift. It is still by my desk.)