you'll prob'ly think....

that my preaching about reasons to be thankful can get a bit tedious, and understandably so. But here's another reason to count your blessings, and several that are worth counting off...

I've been volunteering for years and years and years with a local organization that provides support for individuals who have been victims of sexual assault. When you know/remember my early history, that readily explains why my commitment to this non-profit group has held my interest, attention and support for so long. You might have even heard me tell the story how I first got involved, as I constantly read of women being violated on a too-frequent basis in the local newspaper. I kept saying 'someone needs to do something' about this, and then one day I realized I Am Somebody, so I made the call to become a trained volunteer. I am 'on call' for two twelve hour shifts each month, offering a caring countenance, friendly ears, and willingness to respond when the 911 office calls needing someone to go to the ER and be an advocate.

I got a call this morning, when 911 reported a young person at the hospital and they needed someone to go and be with the victim. This person is in the custody of the state, under DFCS supervision, living in a group home. This individual was accompanied by the director of the group home: not mom, not a relative, not anyone who really wanted to be there, but was paid to provide care to minors. Are you thankful for your circumstances yet? It gets sadder...but I cannot put it in print here.

I am thankful for a safe place to live, a home that is a refuge from the problems and worries of the world. A car to drive that gets me anyplace I want to go, as long as I put gas in the tank. And thankful for the resources to be able to put gas in the tank. Thankful, too, that I am not a ward of the state, forced to do what the employees of the state decide is best. And really especially thankful that daughters have become such sweet, smart, caring adults without something like this putting a permanent mark on their lives. Children by the dozens: all wandering, floundering,  often abused and/or molested. Being shunted from home to home, caught up in a hard-hearted, ineffective system, dependent on state budget for the minimal care and comfort provided by people who are primarily interested in a paycheck.