Saturday, December 03, 2005
Living in the background this month
Hi all. I'm still stunned about Toon (Barb) and her tragic news. There is just so much sadness, too much of it for this time of year, which is why I prefer to live in the background, in the shadows of the season, rather than being "out there" and in it.
I've shared before that this is a difficult time of year for me; I have mostly unpleasant memories of Christmas, since childhood, which seem to overwhelm any happy Christmases I had when my daughter was small. I try to throw myself into work or providing presents/food for a needy family or two, so I can spend less time with my memories. It's peculiar how a new sad memory will pop in from time to time, something I had buried a long time ago and would just as soon leave buried. I worry about the children of alcoholics, drug addicts, and abusers this time of year. The sights and sounds they hear in the world don't equate to their reality at home. I wish every child knew the selfless love of a parent; even a warm and nonjudgmental hug from a stranger helps a child in an abusive home.
I volunteered as a guardian ad litem investigator/assistant for this county a few years back; the lawyers in this county go to court as the child's advocate, the investigator does all the background checking/home visits/interviews. I remember vividly getting a call from the local bar association asking me if I could go on an emergency visit. The child was in the intensive care unit. He was less than 2 years old. His stepmother had "systematically tortured" him, according to the doctor I interviewed. The child had cigarette burns up and down his arms; step-mom had placed his hands either on the floor or on some sort of surface and stomped/pounded them until every bone in each little hand was broken. Blessedly, the child was not awake when I visited him. I did the preliminary on this, but I did not have the fortitude to stay on the case. I've not done any volunteer work again in that sector for a long time. I frequently wonder what happened to that little boy, and if he ever had the opportunity to know the love of a parent.
I'm sorry, this is a lousy way to start the weekend, I'm mostly lost in thought this morning. Too cold to visit the porch swing; perhaps I'll start a fire and gaze at that for awhile. Take care all.
Posted JDaaris @
4:47 AM ::
4 chocolate drops
Gimme some chocolate!
Counters