Thankfully Chewed Up and Spat Back Out!

Yes, in six days, on November 5th, I will be without a home...sleeping out under the stars and in the bitter elements a Wisconsin November evening is famous for. I am sure I will be shivering - I am sure that I will be wishing for the warmth of a warm bed and a roof over my head. I am sure I will be counting down the hours...the minutes ...the seconds until daylight and the sun provides a warming light - despite the cold air that will still be felt in my bones. The one thing I know I am most sure of is that I will be thankful and wake with an appreciation like never before that the following evening I will be back in my home, under a quilt, surrounded by my children - and home.  The evening of November 5th I will be without a home for one reason and that reason brought me to tears the first time I met the young lady behind it,  Carley Haschke. Carley is a young woman with an extremely bright future, and one that I feel will benefit society as a whole. She is a student at New Lisbon

  The last month or so I've been pulling my hair - figuratively, of course - but I am literally to the point where I am on the verge of being bald. School is back in session and my youngest comes home with the stories of who is bullying who at school, all while Lend a Hand   has been getting calls for help....shelter...from young adults. Babies still in my opinion who are 18...19....20...years old. Children who have grown up in a tornado of violence, domestic violence.   From the stories of school yard bullying to these children in need of help - all a reminder of just how screwed up we are of a society right now - and just exactly what is the outcome of domestic violence, alcoholism, parents stressed to the limits in this economy - the ones who work so much there's no time to know where their children are to the ones who can't find work or depression/mental illness keeps them in bed with their eyes closed wishing they were someone else...somewhere else.   Those bulli

Have you ever visited a homeless shelter? Seen what it is really like? This past weekend I had just such an opportunity and while out on a date. Not your typical date - that's for sure, but definitely one I will always remember.  Coming from a large urban area to a rural area, I already knew there was a difference in not only the perceptions of homelessness, but I have also learned that the resources for people in need of shelter was miles apart. Here in my county we do not have a shelter - but we do have caring people who have come together - people from all walks of life - beliefs - and experiences who are working tirelessly to help those who want to help themselves in attaining shelter.  With resources being what they are, the group I belong to... Lend a Hand ...can only assist those who actively seek out resources and work on creating their better tomorrows. We invest in those who invest in themselves. In doing so we've had to battle many preconceived judgments on jus

Awareness campaigns, do they really work? I wonder about that as I think back a decade ago or so and remember my own reactions when I heard about some domestic violence awareness campaign...and I remember thinking how sad the statistics were, but also confused on why a woman (or man) would stay in such a violent home. Today, of course, I can see the signs that I was blind to back then, signs of control that I ignored or passed off for one excuse or another. That jealousy he displayed, then I thought was flattering - the way he always made sure an arm was either around me or he was holding my hand if we were in a room filled with people...how even in a crowd he wanted (demanded) my undivided attention ...always...- I thought as one woman once told me when she witnessed it, "He adores you!" As long as I convinced myself of that, all those other signs went by the wayside....even the way he treated my emotions, wants and dreams...they always came a distant second ...behind hi