The End of One Era... The Beginning of the Next

Dearest Friends & Family

It’s been a little under 36-hours since I left the courtroom after learning the outcome of this long home foreclosure process.  In a nutshell I have been given 60-days (November 10^th) to vacate this property and find a new place to live.  The judge kindly extended the time normally given in such matters by a full month so that I might be able to make my arrangements. The normal duration between the closing of a foreclosure case and the time when the property must be turned over is actually 30-days.  Despite this kindness however there is much I need to do & that’s where I need your assistance.

First off I ask for your prayers that I may use the time remaining wisely and that as I steady my emotions and think clearly about what my very next steps will be I will not give myself over to feelings of failure & grief.  For most of you this is the only Ruszczak home you have ever known and I am keenly aware that there are more than just my memories wrapped into the mortar and wood.  In truth I have lived here longer than I have any other location during my entire life.  I know every crack & stain – and the house echoes with the whispers of a million memories.

Second I need help in planning and executing a series of open-house & garage sales so that I may be able to raise the money I need to actually move somewhere else.  Although I have been working at OfficeMax since April it is only part-time and now my hours have been cut as the Back-to-School season is over and the Christmas season has not yet begun to ramp-up.  I make just enough money right now to make my bills, take care of my animals, and buy my RTA pass to get myself back-and-forth from work. Please understand I am not complaining – I have been incredibly blessed by this job and being able to take care of myself without my family having to donate to my support has been life-changing.  I love the job – the people, the work, the customer interaction – and although I never intended retail to be the career I chose after graduating from college  (and the possibility of my going to Grad School is still very much on the table) I have thoroughly enjoyed my sojourn back to the world of retail.

I am also aware that right now I don’t make enough to afford most apartments – and that fact scares me.  On top of that I am more aware than ever that I need a car since I cannot guarantee that I will be able to move to a location that still leaves me the ability to get to-and-fro without one.  I want to stay in Signal Hill – this neighborhood has been my home for a quarter-of-a-century.  In addition I must now make arrangements to re-home my four cats, Kazé & Frankie in case I cannot find an apartment that will let me keep them (and many places won’t).

Lastly I want many of you to have certain items from this house as a token of my love for you and my gratitude for all of your affections & support (especially these last 4-years) that sustained my heart & soul through some very dark times.  I cannot fathom my life without all of you in it & am not ready to say good-bye to any of you.  But my future is really up-in-the-air at this point.

Almost everything I own is up-for-sale at this point – I want to move with the least amount of possessions I can manage.  I also want to raise as much money as I can in order to give myself the cushion I feel I need to weather the changing number of hours that retail work is known for and doesn’t leave me at the mercy of capricious reality.  I barely know where to start – it really feels like everything needs to get done all-at-once.  Any suggestions, assistance, and support you give me at this time will be deeply appreciated. 

I cannot help but feel that I am at one of life’s great tipping points and if I don’t do “this” right, I may never recover.  Although I knew this happening was inevitable given the financial requirements of keeping this property & continuing to maintain its many aging mechanicals I have yet to fully appreciate the details of my future.  I do ask one more thing of you – if you hear of an apartment somewhere close to this neighborhood I would deeply appreciate you letting me know.      

Thank You.