Charity Affair, Part 1

A Flair and Dare to remember
I thought I would change the pace here and write a two-part Flair and Dare decorating job I did for a young woman from my Bible Study group. I helped her tidy up her 1 bedroom apartment where she has lived for the past 8 years. First, a little about this person, I will call her Rose, because she is like a Rose in a garden of thorns. Rose, has an atrocious background, which she has overcome beautifully. I won’t dwell on things but feel it is important to let you know a little about her.
As a child, abused and used by her father, Rose became a homeless drug addict. Despite such a horrid upbringing, after some time, she overcame her difficulties and eventually found a home in Section 8 housing. She is also slightly disabled, but does not always need her wheel chair. The good news is that Rose, is a licensed beautician, sells Avon, writes music and love to read, particularly the Bible.
Now let’s talk about her home. When I first walked in, I could see that Rose liked to have STUFF around her. Her apartment could have passed the test for the Messiest House award found on the MyStyle TV Channel. Her place appeared to be the biggest confusion of clutter and jumble I had ever walked into.
Upon entering the living room, one can see ahead a cubicle for a kitchen and a counter full of plants, candles, and almost anything you can name. Near the ceiling, you see paper bags overflowing from the corner between a small cupboard and the refrigerator. Beneath the kitchen counter facing the living room sat a homemade desk, stacked with papers and books; next to this stood a bookcase with a piece of gold lame fabric tacked to a shelf hung to hide the things behind it.
In front of this bookcase and desk was a gigantic wheel chair. That is where I sat for my first consultation with Rose. She sat across from me in the only piece of furniture, besides a large dining table – a huge, ugly, brown, broken recliner; Rose is a big girl. In front of her in the middle of the room was a rickety TV Cabinet with a computer and other paraphernalia crammed into it and on it a pair of wobbly rabbit ears. Behind the rickety, rackety recliner you could see an old china cabinet whose glass door windows had Christmas stickers on it. Next to the cabinet were two more bookcases, packed full of everything. On the floor sat a box for another bookcase, where Rose intended to put more stuff.
Next to the bookcases, sat the oversized table with a sewing machine on top, next came stacking baskets and another non-descript cabinet full of hair care, manicure, and other instruments and bottles needed for her profession. Imagine if you will a space of perhaps 300 sq ft encompassing all this. We won’t even mention the carpeting or the cat – oh yes – a cat.
At the end of the crowded hall was a bedroom full of containers that held Rose’s workout -clothes, pants, shirts, etc, all gathered from friends, thrift stores, and anyplace she could find to collect her things. Rose clearly represented what a once homeless person-- fearful of never having anything and going without-- looked like.
I had to twist Rose’s arm to get her to agree to give away lots of her stuff, such as clothes, books, more books, videos, clothes, stuff and more stuff. I reminded her that she need not fear being without and that there were plenty of people who could benefit from her generosity. I also I reminded her that Neatness and Orderliness (Cleanliness) is next to Godliness. I have to say that her home, chaotic as it was, was clean
Enter – Flair and Dare with a Costco box of 33 gallon bags. This box contained 2 rolls with 44 bags in each roll.
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