JUNE 14, 2024 ON MY CORNER MEET YOUR VENDOR Truth or lies: Winter A warm soul with a radiating Denise Shearer, vendor No. 485 Where do you usually sell Groundcover News? On Main Street in front of Your Media Exchange that sells DVDs, CDs and tapes and media stuff. When and why did you start selling Groundcover News? A couple of years ago I think. And I wanted to help myself and help the community and have my own money. What is your favorite thing to do in Ann Arbor? I like to sell Groundcover, I like to go to Sonic Lunch and I like to look at artwork. What is the best thing about selling Groundcover? I help myself and the community at the same time. I get to earn my own money which is something that helps everybody. If you could do anything for a day, what would it be? Go to Frankenmuth. If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? Hot dogs and chicken noodle soup. What is your superpower? I like to walk. What are your hobbies? Writing and drawing and coloring. What changes would you like to see in Washtenaw County? People not being rude, and better customer service. What would be the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery? Buy some clothes. What song do you have completely memorized? Joy to the World, the Christmas song. smile. I would always see this young lady rolling in her chair down the street when my truck broke down and I started walking to get around. Every time I saw her in the street, she was either rolling in the same direction I was walking or rolling towards me. I often wondered, where did she live? How far did she travel going to Walmart? I would think inside of my head that she is a strong young lady. I know she can’t walk. Her chair is raised in the air, and her legs are stretched out. However, she never let her circumstances hold her down. You could see the resilience in her. Winter would always wave her hand and smile. One particular day I was getting off work and driving with my son in the car. I saw her sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. I pulled over and spoke to her because she was on my block. Now I could find out where she lives. My son asked her if she needed any help. Winter said her battery was dead. She just FELICIA WILBERT Groundcover vendor No. 234 needed to be pushed over one hump in the sidewalk. I parked my car. Me and my son got out to assist her. As we started pushing, her 16-year-old daughter came to help. Winter started telling us how she had five days to move. I asked her why and what happened. She said that her apartment was not handicap-equipped; how she cannot get up and down the stairs in her apartment. When she got a lawyer from legal aid, they informed her she had been served an eviction and had to move out in five days. I looked at her chair. The left tire was ripped almost into shreds. I wondered how the chair was rolling. I asked her if Medicaid would give her a new chair. Winter said she had gotten the chair when she was living in Kentucky. Here in Alabama, Medicaid would not replace her chair or fix it. Her daughter was pushing with my son. The chair hit the hump and she flipped over! With all the strength we could muster, the three of us picked her up and put her back on her chair. She was embarrassed, however I assured her there was no need to be embarrassed. I explained to her that we are all here to help one another. We continued pushing her home. The sidewalk was cracked up and missing pieces. There was only a makeshift kind of ramp covering the broken sidewalk so she could roll into the house — the house that is not handicap-equipped for her chair or her. After meeting Winter, I could only feel sorrow and shame. Is the world we live in so greedy and uncaring that people really have to live like this? GROUNDCOVER NEWS 3 Six years since my world was shattered TABITHA LUDWIG Groundcover vendor No. 360 How am I doing just six short/ long years after my sister's murder? I can honestly say I am handling it a lot better. But am I completely better? No, of course not. I know I will never be completely over it. I think about my sister every single day. I sit and find myself wondering, what would she be doing right now if she was still here? I completely believe her ghost is always with me. I still hate Carla Cole for taking my sister, my best friend, my mom, my protector, away from me. I hate that my sister is gone. But I have a necklace with her ashes inside of it, so I will always have a piece of her. I was able to go to her grave site and see her this year on her birthday. So even though the days are getting better (to be able to cope) that don't mean I don't think of my beautiful sister every day. I try my best not to dwell over what happened because she can't rest in peace if I'm constantly dwelling over what happend. I only listen to songs for her once in a while. And only allow myself to cry about it once in a while. I know I can't change what happened even though I would in a heartbeat if I could. I can't, so I do my best to let my big sister rest in peace. Even though I am technically older now, Crystal, you will always be my big sister. I wish I could see her just one more time. Talk to her again and hear her voice. But I can't. So here is a letter to my sister: To Crystal, I miss you so much, big sissy. I wish you was here. I want so bad to talk to you and hear your voice again. I really hope there is really a heaven. And that you are so happy up there with Grandpa and Grandma and Auntie and Katie B. And everyone else. Please keep dancing in the sky and don't ever stop. Keep an eye over me. Don't get mad at me when I make mistakes and know that I am always thinking of you. I would give anything just to spend another day with you. Know that I love you with all my heart. You was taken way too soon. But I Crystal and Tabitha know that you're not in pain anymore. And you're now able to look over all of us that you love and care about and be our angel. And I just know that is what you're doing. You was the best big sissy I could have ever asked for. I don't want to ever think of what I would have been without you. Thank you for always being there for me when I needed you the most. I love you and I miss you so much. I know you're looking down and very proud of me right now. You will forever be missed. Please rest in peace, I miss your whole face. Love, Your little sister, Tabitha.
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