~~Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Don not let pain make you hate. do not let bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.~~ Iain S Thomas
I never thought in a million years that I would have the career that I've had. When I was young, I wanted to be Nancy Drew...snooping, solving mysteries, and having everything turn out perfectly at the end. Instead, children under my supervision were still abused. Young mothers passed away. Dads committed suicide. Overdoses. Chaos. So much pain and loss. And those whose profession it is to make sense out of that chaos either find ways to deal with the overwhelming emotions or find another profession with less horrors and more perks.
I'm not always Mary Sunshine. I get discouraged. I get angry. I fight for people who sometimes don't even want me in their lives. I make many mistakes. I lose sleep and lose weight and lose hope. And then it all changes and I start it all over again.
Please don't focus on what I do, but who I do it for. Those with mental illness issues. Those with addictions. Those being abused. Those who are abusing. The lost. The forgotten. The hopeless. The helpless. And while I only work in a very tiny, very isolated corner of the world, I know that this world holds a host of people just like this. Millions of people who aren't noticed unless they are doing something wrong...and get caught. Millions who suffer in silence. Millions who don't know how to be any other way than who they are at this moment.
No, I'm not trying to bring you down. Make you sad. Discourage you. Really. Because there are phenomenal things happening to these very persons. You see, they aren't their illness. They aren't their addiction. They aren't their abuse. They are people with amazing fortitude and brilliant flashes of courage and phenomenal spirits who have totally changed the way I see the world. Labels help nothing. And within every person is a breathtaking story of imagination, faith, hope, and insight. Truly miraculous to witness.
I'm sharing this because I also believe in you. You aren't 'just a smoker'. Not a 'failure'. Not 'weak'. You are, in fact, so much more. You are perseverance. You are brave. You are insightful. You are whole just as you are. You are truly remarkable. And it isn't my job to be here, but it is my honor. I am often humbled by the people here and all they offer the world.
I love my many jobs. I love the people I've met, the miracles I've seen, the bravery I've witnessed. I love this site. The hope it offers. The knowledge it gives. The people who stay. The quitters who try. Bottom line today, for me, is that I'm very grateful for my life and for the people who have allowed me to see them as they are. You make me better and give me hope. Thank you!
Sheri
