What a weekend after a long week

Wow - to say I have been busy would be an understatement!

Winter is here and there's no doubt it's the holiday season!

Lately I've also been overwhelmed with the kindness of strangers - it's so promising to see so many give of their time and efforts for others...strangers...especially when times are hard for all of us.

This weekend was the bake sale for Lend A Hand, the group that is just over two months old and was formed to help those in need of shelter or about to lose shelter.
Not only did we sell everything that all our volunteers baked, but we recieved a donation that brought me to tears....that banner that is pictured above.

Once again...kindness of a stranger...came through.

The person who donated that banner also created it and in doing so captured exactly the feeling...the essence of what I hope Lend a Hand becomes in our community here in Juneau County.

Last week I wrote about some attitudes I came across when dealing with a situation where a minor was in a natsy situation living in a tent with an adult male who was not related to her.

Last week that situation tore at my heart because I was unable to do anything for this teen girl.

Legally the group couldn't put her in a motel on her own because she is a minor....

Morally and legally we couldn't place both the adult male and her in a motel because we suspected a crime was taking place....especially after listening to those who knew about the situation....

It killed me knowing that I couldn't help her...and it ripped at me when I heard comments ...while the ones speaking those comments may have thought they were innocent...I knew feeds into the cycle of dysfunction as the girl already was being labeled because of the environment she was raised in.

I will give credit to one of those officials who I wrote about as he did come to a meeting to speak about the issue and after I wrote that blog.

And yes, he was upset with me about the blog....and yes, I was still very disappointed in him and others.

Sometimes barriers need to be tackled with every bit of force a person has in them...and last week I used every bit of energy to tackle a barrier created by frustration and stigmas.

It was not easy to write what I did because I do on a personal level, know the people who said it...and I have worked with them on things in the past.

Actually when I wrote it, I was hurting because of all of that.

A victim's voice is often a silent voice....

We see the aftermath of the crime....

We can view the reports....

But it's the real crime that often goes unnoticed and that is the one where it creates a legacy of pain that no one but that person will ever know....this is so true for child victims of abuse...they're robbed of innocence and a future starting out on a firm foundation ....

There is no gentle way of saying that...expressing it...and there is no gentle way in making their voice heard when those listening are also worn down with frustration...

So while I will not apologize for anything I have written, I will say that the barrier is down and it's time to take a step forward...all of us...