I think it is a great blessing, however you slice it.

And yes, the anonymity of a card does help the self esteem.

To Jilly,

I am not from the States . I heard the words before, but how does the system work.

Thank You

Loong ,not so rich either.

To Burt B.

In your post ##754929,you mention that anonimity is good for the
self-esteem.
When my ex wife screwed me blind of everything,my co,the money she owed me and ran with another man.I was left with zilch,nada,
nothing.Imagine someone known in a small village of 4500,people,
as a guy with a business and all.

The first time I went to the food bank,where most of the stuff was rotten ,I was not ashamed. Because there is no shame in being
poor.In Canada 45 % of the families live under the line of poverty.I told everyone that I went to the food bank, oh and we were allowed to go once a month.
So I ate spaghetti sauce for about a year lots of times with stale bread.

What would you do if you were a buddhist monk and leave every morning for alms.Alms is what the people give you,and you are not allowed to eat until the next morning again begging for your daily
meal. Man that would be good for your self esteem.

The other day ,I am at the gym,where they have a healt food
restaurant.Since I just gotten my old age check,I took a cafe au lait $5.00, told one the guys next to me that being poor ,I could that morning afford such an expence.The guy left,and the waitress told ne that the guy had paid my cafe au lait.

I am in no way ashamed of whom I am.

I wish you wealth if this is what your heart desires,mine
desires Bliss.
From a friend to a friend.
A simple buddhit named
loong

Well, I've been stripped of every material possession several times over.

I have 3 dollars in my wallet and it has been there a week.

Money is god in this world, and I have committed myself to extreme minimalism which purchases for me large amounts of time to read and contemplate spiritual things.

I have a small pension also.

I have gone to food banks and soup kitchens.

I have been driven insane several times by ' voices '

You're a winner or a loser in this world -- second place is the first loser.

Well, let them have their day.

Human competition has caused all the wars.

I want a clear conscience.

I've had all the material trappings in a materialistic society.

It is materialistic because they have forgotten anything to do with spirit.

Yet, spiritual laws are higher than material laws.

The outer changes and rots.

The inner remains forever.

I work on the inner.

A lot of times, I get scared.

Yet this is a very small epoch and it is based upon greed, violence and non-spirituality therefore materialism.

It shall pass also.

Clash of iron and steel and power and money -- what happens after that is gone ?

Then what.

Well, spirit lives forever.

To Burt B.

Your last post was great.Hang on.

Friend to friend
_/\_
loong

To Jilly,

If possible can you explain to me how food stamps work.I asked
in my post 754931.

Thank you.
Loong

Here is a formal explanation:

http
://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supplemental_Nutrition_Assistance_Program

If you are economically disadvantaged they could keep you alive ...

loong, you take your food stamps card and check out food at your market. You run the card through the credit machine and hit the button that stands for food stamps. The amounts are automatically deducted from your food allowance. Only food items apply. Each month the card refills with your allowance. that is how it works in the US.

I have been loving getting food bearing trees, plant starts and plant seeds with my food stamps. I am having so much fun gardening with edibles!

It's wonderful that you can buy 'food plants' with food stamps. I can't wait to have a ton of fresh tomatoes! And the basil, cilantro and lettuce are edible right after planting the starts. All i have to do is take a sprig of these things right from the plant.

Frugal and fun!