Not ours any longer

From a Chatty Cathy coloring book

Well, it is official. The house is no longer ours. I'm saddened and despondent over it. We'd tried so hard to save it, to keep it in our names, but it was all to no avail. I did not know that Arizona was a non judicial state...that is to say the bank can put your home on the market and not give you warning. They will send you a letter letting you know when the house is to be auctioned off and you have that amount of time to get out. We received our letter on the 10th (it was dated the 8th) and IMMEDIATELY forwarded it to our lawyer, but there wasn't anything they could do. The 11th was a holiday and by Monday it was to late. Perhaps if I'd checked the Real Estate section of the newspaper I would have seen our property up for sale but I didn't and well...we officially have no home now. What is so damned heartless is that the mortgage company only gave us three days to move out...three days to move an entire house of belongings? Really?!

We are still in the house, no one has forced us out but I don't know how long that is going to be for. I was told by my husband that the new owner will allow us to sign a years lease and pay $1100.00 a month rent. While that isn't a bad thing, I'm leery of believing it. I've lost all faith in human kindness and compassion. We did fall on hard times and we DID try to fix it. But what was the point? We wasted money, we wasted time and for what? To get our home taken away from us. It always seemed like we were just to late for any help. So I don't believe there is help out there for people like us. We never qualify for ANYTHING. We either make to much or make to little. We aren't rich enough and we aren't poor enough. We aren't ANYTHING.
What really makes me sad is that once again we have someone over us...before it was an apartment complex, now it is a home owner. Telling us how to keep the house, the yard, yadda, yadda, yadda. We can't renovate without the owners permission (providing we'll be able to stay in the home at all) which was something we had intended to do...eventually. We wanted to put in a new kitchen, extend the back of the house, maybe put in a fireplace, close in the carport and make it into a garage, but a bookcase on one wall of the living room. Now...well...we can't do ANYTHING to the house. We can't even put in a ceiling fan over the dining room table without the owners permission and to top it off the owner can come in any time he/she wants. We really don't have any say in how we decorate or not decorate our home. It really, REALLY stinks!

When we have the money, whenever that will be, I want to move from Arizona, to go to a state where, if you loose your home because you've fallen on rough times, the bank has to serve you papers and you can at least go before a judge and state your case. As it is, for us anyway, it's the old saying: Who cares? It's our problem not theirs. We should have thought of this BEFORE they put the house up for auction. Well we DID think about that, THAT is why we went to a lawyer, in the hopes we could work out something with the mortgage company, to make them see that we were WILLING to pay the mortgage we just needed a little assistance until I could get a job. But like I said...who cares? And what is ironic, is that according to the mortgage company, in the beginning, is that they had "programs" to help us...but OH, WAIT, I'm sorry we don't have any programs to help you, you don't qualify..why? Well we make to much. But if something happens to your wife, we can help you. Well something did happen to the wife..she's unemployed. I'm sorry, if she finds a part time job, we can help you. What kind of BS were they pulling?!? They throw you a line then JERK it back as your drowning and you keep on drowning until you sink to the bottom and finally die. Well, we finally died.
Am I bitter? You betcha! And I'm furious because no matter what they say there is NEVER any help.

Another thing that really makes me angry is the old adage: "When one door closes another one opens." Really? So far all it's been is SLAM, SLAM, SLAM, SLAM. What other door has opened? I'm tired of hearing that saying. It's simply mouthing platitudes and I can do without that, thank you very much. Is it any wonder that I'm reluctant to tell anyone about our situation? Well go to Phoenix housing they have programs to help. Yeah, right. Maybe other people, but NOT us. Don't people know that we've tried that and exhausted every avenue BEFORE we lost our house? How many times does a person have to be told NO before it sinks in that  you don't qualify for ANYTHING that is out there.

I just don't have any holiday spirit this year. I can't seem to muster any. Our future is so unsure right now. I don't even know if we'll be in our home on Thanksgiving. We have all the ingredients for a dinner but will that dinner be given to the new owner because we are homeless? It remains to be seen.

Jack and Jill Children's Magazine