Today

I have had the privilege to read several blogs recently.  The authors have been very honest in sharing their feelings and thoughts about specific happenings in their lives in general and in specific situations.  I have been challenged to blog for several years since my daughter-in-law started writing hers...She started writing as a way to share the adventure my son and she took to Italy about six years ago.  Life became interesting for them with the birth of their first child, our granddaughter.  When my daughter-in-law  was pregnant with their second child, our grandson,  her father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, stage 4. She was able to share very honestly through her blog, the gamut of emotions that she experienced.  She and her dad were very close, and his illness and death affected her greatly.  He was able to see his grandson and spend time with his family before he went to to be with his Lord.  Our "family" is a group of people who love and care for each other, don't always agree with one another, are vocal in that disagreement, but love unconditionally.  We supported one another through that difficult time and were able to laugh and cry together.

I have been involved in the helping professions for my entire adult life.  I was one of those people that others sought out to "talk to".  My mother was ill for a number of years, and my father and I were her caregivers.  She died when I was 17 and I pursued and received my BS in elementary education.  I
married, taught for six years, was a stay-at-home mom for seven years, and then began my graduate work in social work.  I have worked as a social worker in various settings, and I have experienced the normal ebb and flow of the profession.

My greatest professional fulfillment, however, has been in the last seven and a half years as a licensed clinical social worker, providing therapy for adults in their twenties through the "golden" years.  My heart and training are in the field of trauma, and I specialize in treating those adults sexually or otherwise abused as children. I work in a Christian agency, and I am free to talk openly with clients about spiritual perspective, if they so desire.  

With the focus of my work, I am often asked very difficult questions...and I do not shrink from saying, "I don't know why God didn't literally take you out of the abuse you were suffering."  I research other Christian sites and am always searching Scripture for answers to those questions...I also ask others what their experiences and perceptions are.  WHY? WHY? WHY?

I hope you will join me on this journey...the writing may be serious, may be humorous (especially if I write about my grandchildren), but will always be an honest sharing of feelings as we all seek answers to questions, easy and tough.