What an exciting day you've had! It has been one of those days that kept you running from crisis to crisis. Your adrenaline valve wide open, you're operating on a combination of energy drinks and determination to save the world! Each averted crisis fuels you on to the next until the waves of urgency subside … Continue reading When it all Comes Crashing In
One Starfish at a Time
Beverly was only hours old when her mother plodded into the emergency room: sick, tired and covered in sweat. Like a cobbled horse, she limped towards the triage nurse whose eyes were focused on the clipboard in her hands. "Please" The whisper, fierce with pain, caught the nurse's attention. Nurse Anna put down the clipboard … Continue reading One Starfish at a Time
I have a story to tell: Alexis
My name is Alexis. I am a social worker. Being a social worker, sometimes you see things, hear things and learn things that cant be unseen, unheard or unlearned. Those things remain with you, fading over time but linger barely imperceptibly in your mind like a wisp of smoke or the fragment of a disturbing … Continue reading I have a story to tell: Alexis
Losing my Sister
The Isle of Capri sits off the coast of Italy, about ankle high to the big boot. The Island is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples. When we visited, my family had to take a hydrafoil to get there. It is only 4 … Continue reading Losing my Sister
Bethioua and the Ugly American
When I was 18 years old I spent the second of two summers in Bethioua, Algeria with my parents. The first summer I enjoyed immensely, but my newly found independence (being 18 and all) coupled with my false sense of entitlement contributed to the disaster that was my second summer. In Bethioua, my parents lived … Continue reading Bethioua and the Ugly American
The Parable
Becoming a social worker was not the plan I had for my life. As I have often said, I backed into the career totally blind to the mission of Child Welfare. I might not have ever found my calling had not DHS been the only agency hiring. Graduating college as an English major, my choices … Continue reading The Parable
Finding your courage
What are you afraid of? What are your nightmares made of? I have the normal garden variety fears...snakes, spiders, tornados...King Kong (Dont judge me, he was very scary!). But one of my biggest fears involves an insect. The giant grasshopper. I remember one summer vividly, the horrifying images etched into my brain. My family had … Continue reading Finding your courage
And also the Others
May is National Foster Month. Designated such by President Reagan in 1988 to bring awareness to the needs of children in foster care. Children who were unable to live safely with their parents necessitating their entry into a broken foster care system. Foster Children often enter care with scars; some are physical, some are emotional … Continue reading And also the Others
He ain’t Heavy…
The road is long With many a winding turn That leads us to where who knows where? But I'm strong Strong enough to carry Carry him He aint heavy He's my brother. Bobby Scott and Bob Russell I am going to date myself, but when I was a young girl, I heard this ballad covered … Continue reading He ain’t Heavy…
Fear of Flying
As I write this post, I am sitting in my hotel in Washington DC, preparing to check out after a fantastic mind opening conference by the National Council of Behavioral Health. I am so grateful for the opportunity to hear great speakers and to participate in collaborative workshops that fed my hunger for ideas and … Continue reading Fear of Flying
Water for Camels 