Summer is ending, and school is back in session. Cue the advertisements of back-to-school sales on supplies and clothes, “Meet the Teacher” nights, and those timeless first day of school pictures. As many children and families are filling their new backpacks with loads of supplies for their first day, many families do not have the means to even send their children to school with new pencils.
Topics: School Safety
Wednesday, February 14th, 2018 was like any other Wednesday for me. I was wrapping up my meetings for the day until I received an urgent text from my husband, asking if I had seen the news about Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL—our oldest nephew’s school. He told me that our nephew, Blake, was okay and his dad was on his way to get him. I was thankful for that moment, but then the news began to come in about the other victims of this senseless act of violence. We called to check on our family, who is very involved in the Parkland community, and everyone was in shock. Blake spoke with my husband and told him that his football coach had passed away, but said “It’s okay, he died a hero.” His words stunned both of us. The following week, he attended the funerals of his four friends who were killed and his beloved hero, Assistant Coach Aaron Feis.
When watching the maturity and passion of Blake and his peers from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, I have hope for our future. I do also worry.
Topics: School Safety
When I think of summer, my mind wanders to the feelings and smells of a summer day—the sun’s warmth on my skin, the taste of BBQ and other treats, the smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of the lawn mower zipping through the ever-growing jungle that we call a yard. There is something therapeutic about cutting the grass, but sometimes it is more than just about mowing the lawn, as one of my therapists for a team on my caseload found out during a recent session.
Topics: MST Success Stories, MST Community
