Teens in Transition Part 2

I remember of a time, when I was a teenager and of the difficulties I had with surviving.  You see, my grandparents had, "taken," me, actually, kidnapped me from my own bio-logical family.  My grandmother was very abusive...  At the age of sixteen, I went out, (hitch-hiking,) to find my own family and was considered as a, "run-away.*  Needless to say, I didn't find anyone of my blood until about twelve years ago, but during this process, I learned how to survive and thrive within a community and have the chance of being a respectable citizen.

Anyway, back during the time of the, "hippie movement," and the Viet Nam War, I encountered a group of students from a University in the state where I was at.  They had formed and ran a completely functional facility for kids who were considered as, "run-aways."  Their agenda was, to help as many kids as they could and they called themselves, "The Yellow Brick Road."  They either helped the kid in returning home via, "mending fences," or if circumstances were beyond repair, they helped the teenager grow into adulthood and gain employment via living on their own.  If continued education was a factor, they sought grants for the child in question.  I know of a few, "run-aways," who completed school in their town and also attended the very same University.

As I look on our teens of now-a-days- they have such a struggle for survival.  It can go either way- good or bad.  YBR- (Yellow Brick Road,) has such a wonderful success rate in either re-uniting families, or helping with preparing kids to become good and functionally responsible adults in society.  I was fortunate enough to encounter this group of students from this college and I'm sure, the others who had encountered them are just as grateful.  Maybe, they're like me, fighting for a good change...  When I think of YBR- I'm forever indebted to them for their educational value and purposes of life.  Teens in Transition is a program I intend to implement while following YBR's guidelines.  If it wasn't for this program as a teen myself, I have no clue of where I'd be today.

Please help me in the fact of helping our teens who are in that transitional stage.  A lot of them leave home due to the violence that goes on their households, or the lack of caring.  Our children are lost, (as I once was,)  We need to help them- remember, it's not a hand out, but a hand up!!

Sister of a Sister...

Last month, I had written an article about one lady I know, who had gone through a terrible abusive marriage, then got the courage up to get out of it after spending time in jail, and is now currently being abused via what is suppose to be, "a just system."   She still isn't able to obtain gainful employment...

If you remember this particular article, there was a point of when she was going through the domestic violence, she couldn't turn to anyone, not even her sister, because her sister is also, a victim of marital abuse.  Her sister is now in the hospital...  It leaves us, (the ones who know her and know of her situation,) questioning whether her husband had something to do with this or not?

A couple of days ago, when she was rushed there via ambulance, it was unclear if she was having a heart attack or a stroke.  The doctors did extensive testing on her, but couldn't come to any conclusion that either one of these scenario's was the actual verdict of what was going on with her.  Her upper system had gone into violent spasms and would shut down, off and on, for short periods of time.  The last update that was relayed is, she's still in the hospital and the doctors are still doing more testing on her as they can't quite figure out what happened.

 I want to share a short section from my book, "Graceful Reflections," (one I had written under my pen name of Abigail Lurae,) and  let you draw your own conclusion with a hypothetical look at what could have happened to this lady.  When I heard the news, this is what came to mind...

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Candice looked at her audience closely. “Now this is changing the subject
just a little bit but I wanted to share that as of late; flashbacks from a certain
point of time in my life, somewhere from within the past has been weaving it’s
way back into my mind. Why hadn’t I remembered this? It’s a relevant
memory but one I had either blacked out due to the traumatic effect it had on
me or it was a chemically induced memory loss.
“There’s times I remember in my past of sleeping for a week at a time,
why? And there’s times I remember being so very sick—almost deathly
sick… again, why?
“Off and on during the last ten years or so, I kept on remembering a place
where I had worked at. I’d also remember how violently ill I had become one
day while on the job. I went into the office and told them I wasn’t feeling well
and needed to go home, then went out to my car. At that point, I was too sick
to drive so I laid down in the back seat. My stomach began to convulse in
spasms of painful waves while my heart felt like it was blowing up and then
do a huge thud as it deflated. I was so dizzy and felt so weak. I also remember
thinking, someone—please see me here—help me. And I remember thinking
I was going to die.
“After this part of my memory, everything would go blank and I couldn’t
remember anymore until recently. The memories have been coming in bits and
pieces, much like a jigsaw puzzle. Some pieces are missing while others are
falling into place.
“Then one day, I remembered a scent. Almonds! What is this about I
wondered? The smell of almonds. Then it came to me, Leroy had poured a few
drops in my coffee one morning and said he was adding flavor. I tasted it andtold him it tasted awful. He added some sugar and encouraged me to taste it
again. I did—it was not much better but I was running late and needed to get
to work so, I grabbed my coffee and a turkey lunchmeat sandwich he had made
for me. Why was he being so nice, I remembered thinking? Oh well, I
appreciated the kindness as he had always been so mean to me even after he
got out of prison. I went to work—someone had to for he wouldn’t again.
“Out in the parking lot, I emptied the coffee out of my, “to go” cup because
when I burped, there was such a bitter, almost like a rotten almond taste left
behind. I went inside the building, punched in and then fixed another cup of
coffee. That was much better and it was freshly made too. I remember when
the buzzer sounded, I began to work. Just before first break, I began to feel a
little bit nauseated but thought if I ate a little of my sandwich, I’d feel better so,
I began to eat it. It seemed to have a little taste of almond too. But, I thought
maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me because of the nasty coffee I had
earlier. After eating just about half of the sandwich, that’s when I began to feel
really ill.
“Apparently somewhere during the time of lying in the back seat of my car,
I must have realized I needed help. My next memory is driving and the brakes
going completely out in a parking lot. I also remember going into my doctor’s
office but a span of time is missing—then drinking something with charcoal in
it and waking up in a dim lit room that had a window with Venetian blinds. I
remember the doctor telling me I had been poisoned and wanted to send me
to the hospital. I think I must have said, “no,” and that I had to go home. Another
span of time is missing as I can’t remember leaving there.
“I don’t remember how I got home but I do remember not driving due to
the brakes. When I came in, Leroy had a surprised look on his face and asked
me, “you ain’t dead yet?” I now remember saying, “why—should I be?” He
laughed and said he was just joking

“Now, I didn’t fully understand the reason why almonds had anything to do
with poison or my memory so I decided to look up whatever I could find about
poisons with their scents and smells along with symptoms. This is what I
found,” Candice began reading.
“Cyanide has a sweet, sickly almond smell. People who have been
unfortunate enough to come into contact with the poison describe a faint bitter
almond taste in the breath and stomach – a sure sign of cyanide poisoning
(nevertheless there are some people who cannot smell cyanide at all, due to
a genetic trait). However it smells, its actions are brutal and deadly. Symptoms
will be slow to reveal in the case of chronic poisoning, and may include general
weakness, confusion, bizarre behavior, excessive sleepiness, shortness of
breath, dizziness, headache and seizures."


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There are myths and common knowledge about different poisons.  Some will stay in the blood stream and some will dissipate rather quickly and be undetected.  When a person is in a domestic violent setting, the possibility of being poisoned can't be ruled out.     
   

TEENS IN TRANSITION

Once a child reaches the age of 18, they are considered as adults, and can go out into the world on their own- no matter what the conditions are, and regardless, due to parents who either don't care, or other parents who do.

I know of a situation right now, where there are three young men, whom have turned that magical age this year. One young man comes from an abusive home and needed to get away from that type of atmosphere, while trying to continue his education at school. The second young man, comes from a very loving and non-abusive home with parents who do care, but he moved out, just because he could. He is still trying to continue his education and graduate in the Spring. Then the third young man- his father gave him a house, just to get his son out of his hair. He doesn't go to school and he doesn't work. It's unclear at this moment in time, how he spends his days. His father won't help him with anything else...

All three of these boys, live in this house- no electricity, no running water and no means of support to buy their own food, (unless one of them have applied for food stamps this past week.) The two boys who are going to school, can eat twice a day, (breakfast and lunch,) Monday through Friday. On the weekends, they have been going to other friend's home and eating there.

None of these boys have transportation to be able to go out and apply for work. The two who go to school yet, catch the school bus.


Our teens evolving are at risk. They can either go to school and finish it out, while starving, having no electricity, or no running water, while living like hobo's or homeless people. Situations like this can cloud their judgment- they may fall through the cracks, then become the bigger part of living within society's picture- Crime, Abuse and the Drug Scene. All at the communities headache- With looking at this aspect as I write, I can understand their desperation, and why it seems as if crime, drug abuse and even domestic violence is on the rise.


So where do we start?

I'd like to see a program implemented within the communities throughout the nation, to help teens get on their feet- particularly the ones who are continuing their education. I know there are a lot of teens hitting that enticing age of 18, (this year and every year after,) but, I would like to see this program help them up until the age of 20. It won't be giving them a hand out, but a hand up...


Proposals need to be drawn up and taken to places of employment or businesses, with the understanding, these kids come to them and work, as a way of paying them back. It would also help in the aspect of them having a job and potential employment in the future.

Talk to Pastor's at your local churches and even go to someone at the high school who could help you with speaking to the school board and getting more ideas of how to help these kids.

Keep this program as a non-profit organization. The one I'm going to try to start here in my community will be called, "TEENS IN TRANSITION." If we all could get something like this going, just think of how positive the impact will be while possibly bringing about a better future for everyone.

Now it's your turn to bounce ideas back and forth- please reply and get a discussion going on this subject- THEN LET US ALL GO INTO ACTION!

A Hard Crash Course for Survivors

The heart of a woman is like the depths of the ocean. She may hide and tuck away her true loves, her passions for the honor of; and surviving the fact of her being alive and living on this earth- she may also tuck away the pain- the turmoil she feels from pass transgressions against her, Acceptance for what has happened becomes her friend once she is educated and her spiritual eye is opened.


One thing learned with going through Domestic Violence is learning to deal with patience, while adding to the mix- understanding. It becomes a predominate factor in her everyday exhistance. The answers she seeks are not clearly defined, but in time- it does come to her- PATIENCE- UNDERSTANDING- LIVE- BREATHE- LIFE. With the Understanding and the will-power to go on, she begins to see her own world in a different light.


While she strives to become, just herself, (as others have destroyed what she could have been)- watching her back- being leery of- and not trusting others, she gains strength in becoming a true survivor. She even trusts in the fact of not having friends, but acquaintances along the way. This world has taken on the philosophy of, "dog eat dog," and, "look out for number one," in their attitude- thus, "watch your own back!"


Women, (and I will include men in this,) have to take this measure to gain the strength within themselves, just to cope... But, it can go beyond with educating themselves, as long they're wide-opened to learning the laws of Karma, and the Laws of Exhistance.


This world has kept us down and has filtered to society's thinking. We are programmed to fight/give-in and allow ourselves to deal with what is an everyday, constant battle to stress us out. It is so easy to realize that we are a part of the present, must conform, must deal with society of MAN/MAN'S THINKING. They have left God in the wings of where we truly come from- They've left "HIM" out of all that goes on here on this earth.


Once it is realized, we are a spark of the Good Lord- we're here for a purpose- and we seek what is the most important of knowledge, (our after-life,) then all that is now, doesn't matter.


When you can accept the way it is here on this earth and what your purpose is in this rehelm of going through the motions of life- paying our karmatic debts off- well, it's hard to survive if you haven't reached this higher understanding of your purpose in life.

My compter is giving me problems- life, certainly is giving me a huge headache.  Sights from my end are focused on the after-life of where I will be.  Let everything from this world fade away- deal with what you must.  Learn the ultimate lesson- forgive...  Sanity will come to you then...

National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is the National Domestic Violence Awareness month, here in the US.  If I could have my way, it would be the National Awareness Month through-out the year.

Domestic Violence is on the rise- not only due to the economic changes, but also, due to the ignorance of people not understanding or acknowledging the problem is there.  I have found within my own community, the need to bring this issue into more focus and the issue of making it public.

SPEAK OUT AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!!

Let this be heard through-out the year- not just in the month of October.