Michael and Sue's Home Fund
Donation protected
Dad died Thursday, June 23 with Sue, myself, and his son, Tony at his side.
Now Sue and I are facing homelessness and uncertainty because, unknown to us Mom and Dad took out a reverse mortgage on the house. A, "Nice young man" going door to door pressured them into signing even though the house had been paid off for twenty years. Sue and I moved up to take care of Dad 24/7 after my Mother died in May 2014. I gave up my small shop in Madrid, New Mexico, and Sue gave up her career at the local hospital to do so. We have given both our life savings for the care of my Dad. He is actually my Step-Father. I never knew my biological Father. He's the only Father I have ever known. Sue came to help take care of him shortly after I moved into his house to care for him in the name of love alone. I came because I love him and promised him I would do everything in my ability to care for him and that I would not put him into an institution and would make sure he was able to die at home with dignity surrounded with love. I kept my promise with Sue's dedication. Now that Dad has died Sue and I are not just losing a roof over our heads, ( we lost our home in Santa Fe), but a sense of belonging as well. A place for a lifetime collection of tools, photos, a private bathroom all our own to contemplate life, a place to relax, a safe haven. And now the house I grew up in and have always thought of as home will be gone when the Reverse Mortgage people take the house for the debt owed by my parents.
We may soon be homeless because we did the right thing and chose to keep our promise to my Dad. We may soon join all those millions of people on the street who had a home to anchor and nurture their lives. Every face out there on the street has a story. Every unfortunate one had a Mother who loved them. Do people know this? Or do we, as a society turn our heads away from all that suffering, giving the occasional contribution to the homeless man standing close to us at the traffic intersection where we have been trapped by the red light?
Now, very soon Sue and I may join those nameless and faceless legions. We may disappear into the silent masses of pleading faces and outstretched hands; the old RV parked in the Walmart parking lot that everyone looks upon with disapproval, our works forgotten, our voices silenced, lifting others up with the knowledge that, "At least we saved, have a pension, worked twenty years in the same job for all we have, have a roof over our heads,etc.". Well, we had some of those things too, but we put it all into our commitment to take care of a wonderful Combat Vereran of WWII, my Dad, the only Father I have ever known.
We once were in those cars that drove by those people with the signs that say, "Anything will help." Sometimes we stopped and gave if the light didn't change first, all the while thanking God we were not in those people's circumstances. We made choices of our own free will to take care of a sweet old man in his nineties, a decorated combat veteran of WWII who asked me to promise not to put him in an institution and to please let him die with peace and dignity in his own home. I gave him my word and I kept it. We were called upon when no one else was there. We answered. We did the right thing in a country that usually does not honor its elders, it's teachers, its Veterans, or its soldiers. We answered the call. We kept our promise. We came forward for my Step-Father for the sake of honor and dignity. We gave everything we had including our hearts and our health and when the money ran out and Dad needed still more, we agreed with him to apply for credit cards and put Dad into debt for His needs so that now, after not receiving a cent for the thousands of hours of love and care we put into caretaking for him, the credit card companies will have first priority, after the reverse mortgage thieves get their blood money back, on any funds received from the sale of Dad's house in excess of the pay off amount of the loan. We will then be left with nothing and perhaps forced into homelessness unless we receive help of some kind.
I am ashamed in some ways that we had to do this to meet basic needs, obtain clothing for Dad to replace the torn rags we found him wearing, and to do repairs on his house after fifteen years of neglect because he was no longer able to do things for himself and too proud to ask for help or to admit that he couldn't take care of the house or my Mother any longer. He never even asked me for help unless it was absolutely necessary and he could do nothing else. My only Brother had passed away and that left only me to care for him when he was no longer able and we did what we had to do.
My Mother was an invalid and Dad took care of her every need even when he couldn't or wouldn't take care of himself because to do so might take away from my Mother's needs. He only called me when he had a medical emergency and needed me to care for Mom when he was in the Hospital. In twenty years he only asked me for this kind of help maybe a dozen times with more frequency as they got older.
My Mom an Dad were deeply in love and wanted to be alone with that love in the sanctuary they created around their love and asked for the space they needed and wanted to adore each other without interruption from my Brother or me. I didn't fully understand for many years, but I have come to an understanding of their reasons over the last two years that we cared for him. We have learned so much about the meaning of enduring love from this experience and we are so grateful.
In honor of that love Sue and I have done what we could to restore my Mother and Father's flower and vegetable gardens, and to return the house to a functioning state. We have done so many repairs and restorations here that I can't really remember them all, but I do remember how good it all felt. I remember how much love I felt with everything I did and I know Sue felt the same. She told me over and over again how wonderful it felt to take care of Dad. And now he is gone from us physically, but he is all around us in the memory of the time we spent together. But soon, unless we find some help somehow, the Reverse Mortgage People will take away this home that great and abiding love built. That is why I have started this fund raising campaign: so that if this house, this home is lost, Sue and I may have some aide in finding a place, a house we can make into our home and fill it with love just as my Mother and Father did.
Won't you please help us find that home with your contributions here. Anything will help and will be put to good use. We have a 24 year old RV we can put on the road if we are evicted, but it needs tires, insurance, registration, and a going over to make sure it's safe if Sue and I need to move into it so we may have a roof over our heads. We have our household goods and the contents of the shop in storage in Santa Fe, and we have no funds to get legal help, no money for food or utilities, no way to pay for our storage, or any of the hundreds of things we need to take care of after Dad's death so we may have a chance to start over somewhere. This is why we are asking for your help here even though it is very difficult to ask for help as you may imagine. It's very hard to ask, but we must. We have no other choice right now.
Please help us if you can. We really need your help with all this. Any contribution, no matter how small it may seem to you will be lovingly accepted and appreciated with all our hearts.
Sincerely,
Michael and Sue
PS: A wonderful thing about this whole process is that Sue and I were able to arrange a reconciliation between Dad and his only surviving biological child after little or no communication for over 40 years. Dad was able to continue living until his son, Tony arrived here in Denver after driving from Washington State. His breathing was very difficult and Sue and I gave him hourly updates about Tony's location to help him hold out so they could see each other before he died. He passed away two hours after Tony arrived. I'm so proud of Dad for holding out for Tony and so happy Sue and I were able arrange for this much needed reconcilliation.
Thank You So Much in Advance For Your Help,
M and S
Now Sue and I are facing homelessness and uncertainty because, unknown to us Mom and Dad took out a reverse mortgage on the house. A, "Nice young man" going door to door pressured them into signing even though the house had been paid off for twenty years. Sue and I moved up to take care of Dad 24/7 after my Mother died in May 2014. I gave up my small shop in Madrid, New Mexico, and Sue gave up her career at the local hospital to do so. We have given both our life savings for the care of my Dad. He is actually my Step-Father. I never knew my biological Father. He's the only Father I have ever known. Sue came to help take care of him shortly after I moved into his house to care for him in the name of love alone. I came because I love him and promised him I would do everything in my ability to care for him and that I would not put him into an institution and would make sure he was able to die at home with dignity surrounded with love. I kept my promise with Sue's dedication. Now that Dad has died Sue and I are not just losing a roof over our heads, ( we lost our home in Santa Fe), but a sense of belonging as well. A place for a lifetime collection of tools, photos, a private bathroom all our own to contemplate life, a place to relax, a safe haven. And now the house I grew up in and have always thought of as home will be gone when the Reverse Mortgage people take the house for the debt owed by my parents.
We may soon be homeless because we did the right thing and chose to keep our promise to my Dad. We may soon join all those millions of people on the street who had a home to anchor and nurture their lives. Every face out there on the street has a story. Every unfortunate one had a Mother who loved them. Do people know this? Or do we, as a society turn our heads away from all that suffering, giving the occasional contribution to the homeless man standing close to us at the traffic intersection where we have been trapped by the red light?
Now, very soon Sue and I may join those nameless and faceless legions. We may disappear into the silent masses of pleading faces and outstretched hands; the old RV parked in the Walmart parking lot that everyone looks upon with disapproval, our works forgotten, our voices silenced, lifting others up with the knowledge that, "At least we saved, have a pension, worked twenty years in the same job for all we have, have a roof over our heads,etc.". Well, we had some of those things too, but we put it all into our commitment to take care of a wonderful Combat Vereran of WWII, my Dad, the only Father I have ever known.
We once were in those cars that drove by those people with the signs that say, "Anything will help." Sometimes we stopped and gave if the light didn't change first, all the while thanking God we were not in those people's circumstances. We made choices of our own free will to take care of a sweet old man in his nineties, a decorated combat veteran of WWII who asked me to promise not to put him in an institution and to please let him die with peace and dignity in his own home. I gave him my word and I kept it. We were called upon when no one else was there. We answered. We did the right thing in a country that usually does not honor its elders, it's teachers, its Veterans, or its soldiers. We answered the call. We kept our promise. We came forward for my Step-Father for the sake of honor and dignity. We gave everything we had including our hearts and our health and when the money ran out and Dad needed still more, we agreed with him to apply for credit cards and put Dad into debt for His needs so that now, after not receiving a cent for the thousands of hours of love and care we put into caretaking for him, the credit card companies will have first priority, after the reverse mortgage thieves get their blood money back, on any funds received from the sale of Dad's house in excess of the pay off amount of the loan. We will then be left with nothing and perhaps forced into homelessness unless we receive help of some kind.
I am ashamed in some ways that we had to do this to meet basic needs, obtain clothing for Dad to replace the torn rags we found him wearing, and to do repairs on his house after fifteen years of neglect because he was no longer able to do things for himself and too proud to ask for help or to admit that he couldn't take care of the house or my Mother any longer. He never even asked me for help unless it was absolutely necessary and he could do nothing else. My only Brother had passed away and that left only me to care for him when he was no longer able and we did what we had to do.
My Mother was an invalid and Dad took care of her every need even when he couldn't or wouldn't take care of himself because to do so might take away from my Mother's needs. He only called me when he had a medical emergency and needed me to care for Mom when he was in the Hospital. In twenty years he only asked me for this kind of help maybe a dozen times with more frequency as they got older.
My Mom an Dad were deeply in love and wanted to be alone with that love in the sanctuary they created around their love and asked for the space they needed and wanted to adore each other without interruption from my Brother or me. I didn't fully understand for many years, but I have come to an understanding of their reasons over the last two years that we cared for him. We have learned so much about the meaning of enduring love from this experience and we are so grateful.
In honor of that love Sue and I have done what we could to restore my Mother and Father's flower and vegetable gardens, and to return the house to a functioning state. We have done so many repairs and restorations here that I can't really remember them all, but I do remember how good it all felt. I remember how much love I felt with everything I did and I know Sue felt the same. She told me over and over again how wonderful it felt to take care of Dad. And now he is gone from us physically, but he is all around us in the memory of the time we spent together. But soon, unless we find some help somehow, the Reverse Mortgage People will take away this home that great and abiding love built. That is why I have started this fund raising campaign: so that if this house, this home is lost, Sue and I may have some aide in finding a place, a house we can make into our home and fill it with love just as my Mother and Father did.
Won't you please help us find that home with your contributions here. Anything will help and will be put to good use. We have a 24 year old RV we can put on the road if we are evicted, but it needs tires, insurance, registration, and a going over to make sure it's safe if Sue and I need to move into it so we may have a roof over our heads. We have our household goods and the contents of the shop in storage in Santa Fe, and we have no funds to get legal help, no money for food or utilities, no way to pay for our storage, or any of the hundreds of things we need to take care of after Dad's death so we may have a chance to start over somewhere. This is why we are asking for your help here even though it is very difficult to ask for help as you may imagine. It's very hard to ask, but we must. We have no other choice right now.
Please help us if you can. We really need your help with all this. Any contribution, no matter how small it may seem to you will be lovingly accepted and appreciated with all our hearts.
Sincerely,
Michael and Sue
PS: A wonderful thing about this whole process is that Sue and I were able to arrange a reconciliation between Dad and his only surviving biological child after little or no communication for over 40 years. Dad was able to continue living until his son, Tony arrived here in Denver after driving from Washington State. His breathing was very difficult and Sue and I gave him hourly updates about Tony's location to help him hold out so they could see each other before he died. He passed away two hours after Tony arrived. I'm so proud of Dad for holding out for Tony and so happy Sue and I were able arrange for this much needed reconcilliation.
Thank You So Much in Advance For Your Help,
M and S
Organizer
Michael Lowery
Organizer
Federal Heights, CO