To those who have followed our journey for a while and to those who have just found us? My 8 year old son and I live in a camper trailer following the big floods of Northern Rivers as with that all rentals simply just disappeared. We pay rent for the land upon where we've set up off grid. I've built an outdoor ' bathroom structure ' with walls for our camping shower and toilet to be dry from the rains. I've been told that officially does makes us homeless, although we are at this moment temporarily blessed to be hiding from the winter cold in 'emergency accommodation' for 10 more days before going back to our camp and for that I am forever grateful . It's helped us both to catch our breath for a minute and look at the bigger picture. At what's ahead of us. Out of the immediate fight or flight response where we've been hanging for most of the year. This year has been insanely tough for so many of us.The trauma and pain immeasurable here in Northern Rivers. When I lay awake that night back in February, listening to the incredibly force of the rains hammering down on our roof , I never could have foretold what was coming. The amount of heartbreak, stress, utter terror and devastation is simply too great to measure. I thought 2021 was big, having got adrenal fatigue and finding the need to put a halt on my business , and yet it had nothing on this year. So many times since then have I just wanted to throw in the towel,crawl up in a corner with a blanket over my head and never come back out again. And yet I just keep going. One step at a time. As we all do. With tears, with fears, with pain, courage and damn stubbornness. But also with light and hope. With love surrounding us amongst the darkness. The love of people bonding together in times of crisis. Of kind words and deep hugs. Of listening ears and hankies passed . That's what's kept us going as we've moved from our rented tiny home in Lismore, to a caravan in the hills just above, to a borrowed camper trailer in Mullumbimby, to emergency accommodation and soon back to the camper trailer again. My son and I will technically still remain homeless until the day we can put a semi-permanent dwelling on the land we rent. One with actual walls and not canvas. One that doesn't flood with 10 cm of water.One with heating,power and running water. It's a beautiful little patch of land if yet, as everywhere else , turned incredibly muddy over the last couple of months. A patch of land where the journey towards us building our very OWN tiny home on wheels is finally taking place starting in August this year . A home that ,should it flood again ,we can simply drive away. Our 'forever home' as my son calls it longingly. A home where we can lock the door at night. A home to be safe. A home that noone can take away from us. Imagine that❤️ A couple of weeks ago we found out that we had been granted some partial funding towards this dream. We were accepted by a project funded by some incredibly beautiful people who just wanted to help people with the extra money they had to share. 15 people were chosen and we we're one of those. To say that we danced around like crazy in the rain that day upon hearing those news is no exaggeration! I feel incredibly blessed to have this start up and guidance along the way. We will build our own home!? What this project did inform us of though is that with prices of materials going up significantly even just since the beginning of the year- we will need to add a minimum of $35.000 ourselves to be able to finish the build. The sooner we get that- the sooner we can finish and move in even if that's just a mattress on the floor to start with. That goes towards the actual trailer the house will be built upon ( which they ask us to fund) and other materials. It's all totally legitimate and very well done. I will fly to Canberra the first weekend of August for the very first workshop with Eden Tiny House Project in collaboration with Fred's Tiny Houses, and that begins our official journey. I can not wait! This- is what I'm working my butt off to save towards right now. Somehow. Because the sooner I get there,the sooner we have security around us and we both desperately crave that. But with the small income I have and food and petrol prices rising rapidly- It's proving to be quite difficult of a task. I have had many people reaching out suggesting I set up a fundraiser to help me reach our needs. To give those who want to help a chance to. I've struggled with this idea, to receive so much, I guess from a 'not worthy ' enough perspective of 'other's need it more' and ' who am I to ask when everyone has it tough'. But if this year has shown me anything it's teaching, no actually hammering into me the lesson to receive. To allow. To not let my own trauma response keep me from receiving the support we actually need. To not be stuck in being so damn independent because that's the only perceived safe way. Perpetually being overwhelmed by all the things 'only I can do'. I've worked hard on this the past couple of years but this here feels really huge. Huge. It feels COLOSSAL and yet I know that I need to open myself to it. To allow what's actually possible and give my son a safe haven. So as scary as this is, as freaking vulnerable as I feel doing it, as much as my brain is terrified in fact of asking of something so huge (because it believes that by me asking I will truly find out what it's been so scared of all along- that my fears we're indeed warranted) - despite all of that . I know I need to prove to myself that I too, am worthy of love and belonging. I too, deserve a home. I can't do it all on my own. Not this time. It takes a village. So here I am, humbly asking: Will you please help me and my son to build us our forever tiny home? In endless love and gratitude Anna and Noah ♥️?????