This Christmas marks the 17th season on Project HELLO (Helping Everyone Locate Loved Ones) – a student led initiative that began in 2009. After seventeen years, patterns emerge, and the streets become familiar, yet something was different this season. A different type of magic emerged, with raw moments that I am still processing as I reflect on our time in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

My longtime friend Cindy, who I met in 2014 when we reconnected her with her eldest daughter Paige, called me on December 23rd. She asked if I could help her do some Christmas shopping, so that she could send something to her younger daughter Amy who we connected her with in 2020 (unfortunately her eldest daughter Paige passed away in 2019). I was just about to head to Winners for some last minute stocking stuffers, so I asked Cindy what she would like to get Amy. She asked if I could find her some earrings, and some make-up. I happily agreed.

I then asked Cindy, who lives in one of Vancouver’s SRO shelters, what I could get her for Christmas. After all, Cindy is one of my favourite people in this world. She has taught me about friendship, resilience, hope, and faith, and she is the reason I believe in miracles. (To learn more about her story click here).

Cindy replied “I can’t think of anything – I have everything I need.” Her words were sobering. My friend from a homeless shelter was telling me she had everything she needed, while I was fully entrenched in consumer madness, buying extra stocking stuffers that no one needed. With some extra encouragement, Cindy shared that she would appreciate a pair of earrings for Christmas. I told her I would head out and find some things, and meet her the next day at her shelter. We also agreed to walk to London Drugs together, to pick up an online photo order, with new photos of her daughter.

When we arrived at Cindy’s shelter on Christmas Eve, our plan was to visit Cindy, walk to London Drugs, and then participate in Project HELLO, where we offer unhoused citizens the opportunity to write holiday messages to friends and family they have lost touch with. This year, our Christmas cards were handmade by students at William Watson Elementary in Surrey, BC and Langley Fine Arts School in Langley, BC. We also had hand knit toques to distribute, courtesy of the grade 6/7 students at Laity View Elementary in Maple Ridge, BC.

When I entered Cindy’s one bedroom shelter, with my son Cole, and his friend Sam, I was in awe of how well kept her space was. Despite her battles with addiction and mental health, her tiny room was spotless. She toured us through her living area, pointing to the window where she proudly displayed photos of her daughters and magical moments from both reunions. She hugged me, and told me on repeat how much she loved me for finding her girls. She struggled to walk, recovering from a broken leg, yet she refused to use her brace. Instead, she grabbed her walker, slid on some Crocs, and filled her water bottle with vodka to numb the pain. After overcoming years of heroin and cocaine addiction, Cindy now turns to alcohol as her drug of choice to escape the memories of her traumatic past. (Cindy’s harrowing story of childhood abuse is documented in Dr. Gabor Maté’s book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. In his book Cindy’s name is Celia.)

As we stepped onto the cold and wet streets, Cindy shouted out “Double Rainbow!” With no rainbow in the sky, we looked to Cindy for an explanation. She smiled and told us Ron was with her today. Ron was Cindy’s partner for over thirty years. As a war veteran, he struggled with PTSD. Unfortunately, his heart stopped in 2021, leaving Cindy alone. Cindy smiled, thinking of the day they stood outside their shelter, and saw a double rainbow. They decided in that moment that double rainbows symbolized their love and their story. Despite the rainy conditions, Cindy could feel Ron’s rainbow. “You can’t tell me he’s not with us today.” Smiling at the new photos of their daughter Amy, Cindy shared how proud Ron would be, if he could see Amy now. As we walked, Cindy smiled as she looked to the sky, and mumbled on repeat, “Shine on, you crazy diamond.”

As we left London Drugs, we let Cindy know we were going to start inviting others on the streets to write cards to family. Cindy was bursting with holiday joy – partially from the sentiment of the season, and even more so from the vodka in her water bottle. Cindy began to shout through the neighbourhood “Hey! Listen up – who wants a Christmas card and a toque?” Cindy refused to take no for an answer. Normally, if someone refuses our offer, we wish them a Merry Christmas and we move on. Not this time. Cindy was convinced that even those who were passed out on the sidewalks, needed to wake up and write to family. “What’s the matter with you – I used to be like you too – it’s the holidays – open your hearts!” Cindy gave no option, and those would would prefer to ignore us had no choice. That’s where the magic happened. Those wanting to say no, listened to Cindy. Some could not even enunciate their words, but her message was reaching them. One man, too drugged to speak clearly, hunched over Cindy’s walker. He cried and all he could say was “Mom.” Our card will not reach his mom, as we don’t know her name or his, but I think about him still, and wonder if the experience left him yearning for family, or pondering the idea of reaching out.

Other’s paused to write cards. Cole and Sam offered to help write messages, while Cindy continued on with one broken foot and a walker, charging into people. In her intoxicated state, mixed with an abundance of joy, she continued to shout “Hey – it’s Christmas – you have to reach out to your family! These people found my daughters”. Vancouver’s most marginalized citizens smiled, some writing cards, and others offering “Merry Christmas, Cindy.”With the rain drenching the neighbourhood, we decided it was time to go. With one last hug and an ‘I love you’, we said goodbye to Cindy. As we headed back to our warm car, she continued on in the rain, enjoying the moment – at least for a little while.

Shine on you crazy diamond, shine on.