Star Foster, Managing Editor for the Pagan Channel at Patheos.com*, had been considering making a change in her life for several months. When she needed to move out of a less than desirable living arrangement on short notice, she chose Minnesota. “I have come to know so many midwest Pagans, either online or at festivals, that this area seemed like a good place to go to find community and not be entirely alone. Plus, some of my friends here made a pretty good case for the reasonable cost of living, public transportation and low unemployment in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Paganistan just had too many things that made it attractive for me to not be tempted, despite the snow,” said Ms. Foster.
Foster was living in a rural part of Georgia and was sharing a home with three other persons. The situation was tense and came to head last week, resulting in Ms. Foster reaching out to her friends and religious community. She had $3 in her pocket and no idea where she would live. Local friends gave her a place to stay and helped her pack and store some of her belongings, although most she would have to give away. “People opened their homes to me, sent me money for moving expenses, fed me, gave me rides to the places I needed to go, sent me words of encouragement, gave me their phone numbers if I needed someone to talk to, and invited me to their events. I had offers of places to stay from all over the country, and even a job offer or two.”