Homies

    A week ago I had the privilege of breaking bread physically and spiritually with Fr. Greg Boyle.  To say that I think of this man as a hero is truly an understatement.  He would also hate it if I told him that, which I did NOT.  My heart exploded from joy as I got to sit next to him at mass in the Jesuit's home.  Being able to celebrate before Jesus Christ with a man I believe embodies Christ to so many people was humbling.
         We then proceeded to the dining house and we had a cocktail hour of sorts, and true to Megan form I even sassed Fr. GB and he laughed a jolly laugh.  As he spoke in his talk tears rolled down my cheeks as even more burned behind my eyes.  His speech was so simple but it was filled with more heart and love then a human could ever dream of.  With his heart and his love he has known extreme hope and extreme loss as he has buried over 120 people during his mission work with Homeboy Industries.
          After the talk, my roommate and I waited to get a picture with him. I could not pass up an opportunity like this.  As we walked up, he hugged me and said "thank you for all that you do." WHAT I DO? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Those outbursts were kept inside my head, as my heart exploded from a compliment from my very own hero. 
      I will leave you with this beautiful quote from Fr. Greg Boyle that embodies a lot of my thoughts on humanity, and how I do my work. Just because your cry for help may be different then someone else  does not mean that we are not crying out for something, mainly to belong.  We are bound up in each other, and that is something we can never fail to forget.

 "We are all in need of healing, all of us are crying for help, it is the thing that joins us together."

Trauma Counseling

One of the greatest reasons I want to be a trauma counselor is I want my patient to be able to break free from the voice in their head of the abuser.  The one that tells them they weren't good enough or to be able to be touched again.  I want to empower my patients who will all be survivors and not victims.  Whether its physical, sexual or verbal I will let my patients know that they are beautiful just the way they are and the way god made them.  Their abuser and the incident will not have control over their day to day. I want my patients to break free from this person who might paralyze a part of their lives, or can produce a wall.  I want to walk with my patients to break that wall down and to be able to forgive themselves, their abuser and to of course love themselves again.

I am not naive I know that with some patients depending on the severity of the abuse and the duration it will take more than a session honestly some might take years but here is the thing....meet me at the corner of love and endless I'm there.  I am not giving up on people that so many others have chosen to give up on, I refuse. 

Also with some more thought on all of this, and knowing even more so this is what I want to do, it is my vocation I realize my ability to forgive is going to be tested every day by being a witness to their stories.  I told one of my roommates I am going to need to take up kickboxing to keep my calm.  So silver lining I will be in peak physical condition and hopefully a good ear for the people I will grow to love as soon as they enter my door. 

I miss you most in the quiet of a Sunday afternoon

those moments where everyone is busy

but I spent those hours with you

we filled those hours with chats and thoughts

now I am learning to just BE in silence

its just a step towards detachment 

I am aware that it was time to let go

but I miss you most on those Sunday afternoons.

If you were president...

Seeing as this Monday most of the world will have off for president's day, my specific area of the country will not because we had off for Mardi Gras.  I love Mardi Gras.  I was so lucky I got to indulge in this holiday for a second time in my life.  I love the moon-pies, the toilets from Tucks, the different ridiculous beads, and I love the masks.  Mardi Gras to me is how Carnivale is supposed to be celebrated with just a little bit more nudity than most people are comfortable with. 

Either way President's Day is tomorrow and seeing as it was so soon I based my lesson plans on just that.  While we were discussing America, and presidents and why Washington and Lincoln were important I asked the girls a question...

"If you ran for president what would you do?"

Here are their responses....

"I would paint the white house pink."

"I would give money to the poor people so they can buy new clothes to get jobs."

"I would give money to the kids so they can buy food, healthy good food, not food stamp food."

"I would buy old people puppies to make them happy."

"I would help the poor kids get better teachers and schools, and books."

Some responses of course we're funny, pink white house, and puppies for old people, but the other ones surprised me a bit because it showed me the perspective my girls have, and where they are coming from and what they think are our greatest needs.  The food stamp/healthy one was from a six year old.

My girls keep me honest, and passionate.  If it weren't for these girls with attitude, sass, and better dance moves than most my days here in Mobile would most certainly be lackluster.