|
I am sorry to say that I have left this blog in a rather abandoned state for quite some time now. This is mainly because I have been so busy with the magazine, including making phone calls to printers and advertisers. However, I do get some free time and I will try to dedicate it to getting this blog more up to date.
I have spent a lot of time delving into my past recently, from new perspectives. I don't know if I still have some readers from Eckington School, but I have been thinking about them considerably recently. Perhaps it is due to slightly elevated stress levels, or just writing articles about societies' broken teenagers; but it seems strange how much things have changed in just a few short years. I spoke to an old friend on Tuesday, who told me that "things change and people grow". From my experiences in Britain, I imagine that the people who I went to school with are probably growing in-line with state approval. Most of them are in college, receiving an 'education' which teaches guilt and cowardice. One that teaches them to abide by the rules, instead of the rules of conscience.
I can only hope that after the school that we went to, and the influences that we had on each other; my schoolmates will probably be a little more prepared to stand against indoctrination than most out there. Those who have taken history lessons, will no doubt have very little knowledge of history other than world war one and two...and a deep look at black slavery in the USA. Those who took geography, may have great difficulty finding their next vacation spot on a map; but they will be well educated on the politics of that country and how we should be forcing our idea of civilization and democracy onto them in an invasion... liberation if they do not comply. Those of you that went on to study psychology will probably learn the best ways to make a person feel inferior, and how harmless it is to label somebody...but you will never learn how to really cure someone of a mental illness(without drugs) like the famous psychiatrist Dr.Carl Jung did years ago.
Many of my old friends have dropped out of college, and gained jobs in the real world. While the educational establishment that you dropped out of may look down on you for it, I respect you..and I am glad that you are willing to think for yourselves and make decisions based on personal choice.
[ add comment ]
( 471 views )
| permalink
I intend to soon begin leading a group, in order to help young people who have been effected by abusive relationships. It will be available for youths in Davie County, and its surrounding areas. The channels which I originally intended on using for this are temporarily closed to me, due to many of the local politicians and officials having dramatically serious issues with honesty. So deplorable is the honesty issue for the local power brokers that they are afraid of the words of this seventeen-year-old girl. I can imagine them cringing in rage even as they read this, and I know they shall. If there is anything I know about corrupt people: it is they are as predictable as they are shallow. The great tragedy of this situation is that most of the local people to whom I refer are involved in the welfare of children as part of their career; either directly or indirectly. Their attempts at preventing me from reaching young people in order to protect themselves from criticisms written on this blog is sadly business as usual for them. The infamous behavior of some of them somehow makes news in the local paper on a weekly basis, and so the taint of disgrace follows them. Every local reader will immediately know this particular group from the previous statement alone. Is it not telling? Thomas has told me that he is certain a couple of these people are not too bad morally, so I must wonder the personal price paid by the good ones for their guilt-by-association. It is often said that power corrupts, but this is only half of the truth. The missing part is that it is those who are the most corrupt who seek power the most aggressively. Abuse is always about power: creating power, and maintaining power.
I am aware that I have hundreds of young readers of this blog. If you are one of those people, and you would like to be part of the discussion group about abuse, or even speak to me privately, then contact me. You can find my contact information on this blog. You may also call me at: 336-936-0018. Please do not hesitate to call, write, or message me. I can promise you that I will not lie to you, manipulate you, or betray your trust, and I make a bloody good friend. I also have no agenda, nor quota for destroying peoples' lives.
[ add comment ]
( 240 views )
| permalink
Well, it was Zachary's first day of school today. I believe that he really enjoyed it despite his exhaustion when he arrived home. He is going to Cornatzer Elementary School, and will return on Thursday as those in kindergarten are being given a staggered entry. Basically, not all of the kids go to school at the same time in the beginning, but the kids in the same class join up on Thursday. I may post a picture from his first day later.
All the schools in North Carolina started again today, which means that I will soon be speaking to the guidance councilor at Davie High School and trying to arrange the abuse group. If I get chance, I will call the school tomorrow. I shall let you know how that goes. Both me and Thomas have been doing a lot of research into alternative medicine, and many of the articles that we think people need to read are on the forum. Please read the articles, sign up, and post your comments or questions. Also included are articles about toxins inside foods, and in products, which could be harmful to both you and your children.
[ add comment ]
( 194 views )
| permalink
Last night I spoke to Richard's brother, Jason, to find that he is doing well. Although, he is still recovering from the news of what happened to Richard, and from his own memories of their times together in childhood. It was a really nice conversation, and it has been a long time since I have talked to him. Jason will be in the book, since Richard dragged him into our relationship during break-ups as the person he could trust to gather information about how distraught I was. I am thankful that Jason does not hold a grudge against me for what happened to Richard, as I expected he might have. Instead, I found that Jason knew about the dark side of Richard's personality, and was simply hoping that such a relationship as ours was not in progress.
I have worked on the book all day today and I am about to finish Chapter 5 titled "R". I have been thinking a lot about the future possibilities of the book, and it has been a long time since I have done that. Reflecting helped, because I have been so fixated on completing the book that I ironically forgot the things which motivated me originally. I know how many people this book will help, and I am really excited about it.
I want to get a lot more done before school starts, and I set up the group at Davie High School. I am afraid that a lot of my time may be consumed with that, and I intend to get the book finished by October.
I am also expecting to receive a call soon from Davie Domestic Violence, as they said they will call as they will soon need help at the office. That will give me a little break from the book, but it will not distract me too much. I spoke to Kim, who works there, and she told me that she would most probably be doing the school presentations which me and Kacy did last year. She invited me to join her.
There are lots of things getting started soon, so I need to work feverishly on the book over the next few weeks and see where I can get with it. Thomas is currently working on the less pleasant business aspects such as tweaking the official proposal document. A proposal document is the foundation for any mass published work. It is basically a lengthy sales pitch (ie. 50 pages) with excerpts from the book, which is used to entice contract offers from literary agents and publishers. That is going well.
[ add comment ] ( 211 views ) | permalink
Well, the summer break is over for all the kids from Mocksville, and for that matter, most of the U.S.. Apart from the extra school traffic, I am actually quite glad that the schools are back in, especially our high school.
I mentioned a few months ago the prospect of me leading an abuse counseling group at Davie High School for victims. I hope to return there and speak with one of the school's guidance counselors when things begin getting settled again, in a couple of weeks. I have already spoken with her once, but I need to resubmit the proposal, lest I risk delays due to the multitude of distracting student issues. I will also need need her assistance with things such as setting the schedule, and relegating a place where I can conduct the group, etc. She was really encouraging when I last spoke to her, and I have no doubt that she will be whenever I speak to her again in a few weeks.
I have mixed feelings about how to eliminate the initial resistance of students about discussing difficult issues, as I remember the way in which I was first directed toward receiving abuse counseling, around two years ago.
I do not remember who I first inquired with, but I remember going through the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) and victim support units, as well as speaking to my counselor from Eckington Engineering College, in England. The counselor at my school was Sue Towers, and we got on great. She became like a friend, despite her age which would have made her more like a teacher than a peer. Yet, I felt safe being open with her. She often came to collect me from lessons each week, so that I could talk to her, and vent myself. She did everything she could to help me, and I will always appreciate her kind efforts. I had expected one-on-one counseling, with complete privacy. I was offered group counseling at several opportunities, but it just was not the same. I had to be able to connect with someone before I could tell what was basically my life story. I could not bring myself to trust a whole group, especially when that group was my student peers of the same age. I am really glad that I found Sue in the end.
These experiences help me to relate to the group which is planned. I do not want anyone to feel as I did. I want to be able to offer one-on-one counseling if a person needs it. I know that some people will certainly need it, even though most young people prefer to speak in a group. They feel protected in group settings. Although, I do not wish to be helpful to only 'most' young people who need it. I hope that I will be able to establish something which enables me to also help the minority of students who prefer to speak about their experiences without the group in-tow. This minority will be the most wounded ones -- the ones who need me the most. I shall discuss this with the guidance counselor whenever I go to coordinate the group meetings with her.
The idea of an abuse support group at Davie High School first came to me when I visited the school, speaking about my abuse with Kacy Corriher from DDVS (Davie Domestic Violence Services). The teacher of the class is Amelia Little and she is lovely Christian woman. She teaches about domestic violence and celibacy, and I find her to be really friendly and helpful. After I performed a couple of speeches in her classes, we began to speak for longer periods, and more frequently. I brought up the idea of this group with her. She responded by taking me to see one of the guidance counselors, since they would be able to tell me if the group would be feasible, and if we already had enough people to merit an official group. I was told that there was more than enough for a group, and new kids were reporting abusive behavior to the school all the time. I quickly realized that the time was right. Obviously, there was already a need for a group of this stature, and I am really glad that I can help using my experiences, and the knowledge that I have gained doing research.
[ 2 comments ]
( 269 views )
| permalink
I've been doing well today. Most of the evening has been spent working on the book which we are writing. We have made a lot of progress but still; much is to be done.
All of our pets are healthy and happy, there isn't much to say about them. I am speaking again tomorrow, twice I believe; and I shall be finishing earlier than usual due to both being set for early in the day.
That is good as it means I can do the speeches at the high school in the morning and early afternoon, coming home to work on the Book and do anything else.
We are going to have to get back to the karate training soon but there have been so many bugs going around that we haven't been well enough to practice as much as I would like, and I pulled a muscle in my back as well.
[ 5 comments ] ( 321 views ) | permalink
I completed my twenty hours of training to be a Domestic Violence councellor. Now I have to remember to speak to a woman at the high school on April 3rd about setting up a group for young people who are abuse victims (both Domestic Violence, Rape, etc). Although it will have to go through a group decision at the school, if she passes it on then it will go down better.
If this works out as I hope it will, then I will be at the high school once a week, speaking to young people. That would great to do, and I believe their are lots of people that I can help -- given the opportunity.
[ add comment ] ( 173 views ) | permalink
Going to the local high school tomorrow to give another speech on domestic violence issues for Davie Domestic Violence Services. I am looking forward to it, but I am still a little nervous; despite how many speeches I gave in the past.
I just had a cup of British tea as I had some teabags sent over here a few months ago and sometimes it's really relaxing. Back in the UK I always used to dip chocolate coated cookies inside my tea as the chocolate would melt. ~:P~ That's something that most Brits do.
I think I got a little food poisoning today from 'Arbys' (it's a fast food restaurant for the Brits reading), and I have been sick ever since. I think it is only mild though - at least I hope. My immune system is just not up to fighting this.
[ 1 comment ] ( 257 views ) | permalink
I did my speech at the local high school yesterday and it went well. The response I received from both teachers and students was great and I was asked to return in the future. It really raised my spirits a lot and helped me to ignore my fathers' attempts to harass me. (I'll talk more about this later.)
[ 1 comment ] ( 285 views ) | permalink
I am going to the local high school on Wednesday to deliver a speech about Domestic Violence, and I really find myself wondering what to say. You see, in politics it was easy to tell people what they wanted to hear; it simply about dynamics. It was about how it what delivered, how I was feeling and whether I was motivated enough to pass that on to others.
Right now it is different, it's about passing real personal experience on to others who are younger nthan me to tell them about what they don't already know, and to prepare them for the future. I'm going to have to spend some time thinking on it as I really don't know what to say. It will be an original experience, and I am scared because these are people that I have never associated with on close terms before, and I don't yet know what matters to them, but I know what matters in the future. I know that it matters that they are not abused or controlled, and that their opinions are valued. I know it matters that they have freedom and peace in their homes.
[ 1 comment ] ( 260 views ) | permalink
Avatar
