http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f7WyUnf_A8
Continued from Think Twice.
She calls out to the man on the street. He can see she's been crying. She's got blisters on the soles of her feet. Can't walk but she's trying.
She’s frozen from shock and despair. Marcus is living somewhere else. That’s all she knows. That’s all I know. “My heart is broken,” she tells me.
She’s lived through it all herself: the abuse, the abrupt moves from one foster home to another, the changes in schools, friends, everything. Once it started to feel like home, she was yanked away again.
“Given the home was sprayed by bullets, I completely respect your decision to move Marcus,” I tell the other Supervisor. “I just feel terribly about it.”
I am numbed by my own humility. I have nothing to offer.
Oh think twice...
I sit comfortably at my computer, in my rental apartment by the beach. I’m home. I telephone my brother. I have family, though one rocked by tragedy and dysfunctions; I have love.
Oh lord, is there nothing more anybody can do Oh lord, there must be something you can say
I sit in the humility of defeat. There is nothing I can do to fix it.
You can tell from the lines on her face You can see that she's been there Probably been moved on from every place 'Cuz she didn't fit in there
She plans to move again, to a safer place. She just has to find one first. That’s what she does. She keeps seeking home.
Oh think twice...
Stories like this just break my heart. There are so many people out there with such difficult lives....
ReplyDeleteHarder and harder to imagine there really could be a paradise out there. Many will never find one.
ReplyDeleteWow. My sister is a social worker and your stories sound very similar (although yours are articulated much better). My degree is in Sociology and I was offered a job as a Social Worker but turned it down because I decided to go back to school and become a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI never looked back and made the right choice for me. However, I totally admire and respect Social Workers. You are truly heroes.
Man, and I think I have it bad some days. :(
ReplyDeleteFourthGradeNothing.com
Cheeseboy, thanks. I admire your heroism in return! Teachers nowadays are doing plenty of social work.
ReplyDeleteThanks BB, Ms. A, and Ally. I appreciate your reading this sadder stuff. It does help put things in perspective.
xoRobyn
Wow, that is sad.
ReplyDelete"There but for the grace of God..."
ReplyDeleteI am blessed and I know it.
Makes me sad. But you write so beautifully!!!!
ReplyDeleteps.updated email for ya!!
hugs always
don't think i can do what you do, so keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThis comes to mind:
ReplyDelete"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do."
~ Helen Keller
...probably because I just looked it up to post elsewhere?
Did she find it? Did she find home? Are they safe? What happened?!?!?!?! There better be a part 3 Robyn! Do you hear me! lol
ReplyDeleteCrazy comparison of life. I feel bad now complaining about the trivial problems I deal with knowing what other people have to face.
ReplyDeleteMy heart breaks for people like this. The rest of us don't know how lucky we are.
ReplyDeleteWe hear stories like this from time to time and are conscious of the inner-city problems, but our sense of self-preservation keeps us from concerning ourselves with something that is so far outside of our comfort zone. How you and others in your profession immerse yourselves in this everyday and keep your sanity is a glowing testament to your professionalism and humanity. Beautiful post, Robyn!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom, Kristy, CB, Michael (She hasn't yet. Can you help?), IT, Beth, Jerry, Sarah, and IS. I'm glad it touched you. It's always a good reminder of what we have to be grateful for. Thanks for reading this! It means a lot that folks are not only reading the humorous stuff.
ReplyDeleteHugs and chocolate kisses,
Robyn