Friday, June 22, 2007

WOW

Four more. Four less.

I just got an email from my boss that when I get back we have to put together a proposal to provide support for four folks returning from an institution to live back in the community.

Wow.

And I thought next week would be catching up on work that I've fallen behind on because of my travels and instead I get thrown this. How entirely cool.

I remember the early days of deinsitutionalization, making an individual from an outcast. Finding places where people could find home. Places where the could step out side and learn to dream bigger dreams.

Wow.

I know that there are going to be hours of typing, talking, planning, reading, studying, researching. I know that I'm going to take an exhausted mind and apply it to a complex task.

Other agencies will be doing the same thing, but oddly it isn't a competition. It's more of a 'this is how we think we'd provide the service' ... 'this is how we'd welcome them home.' So that's what'd going on next week.

Wow.

The privilege of planning to bring someone home. Someone who, because of history, because the idea of freedom and community were not yet even uttered - was lost to socity - is now to have the opportunity to learn a new set of skills.

How to be happy AND free.

Wow.

Four more free. Four less caged.
at

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous22 June 2007 at 15:48

    Even overwhelmed, tired, mentally exhausted.....it is exciting!

    Lucky you!
    Lucky them!
    Lucky us!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Susan22 June 2007 at 21:58

    "...making an individual from an outcast..." to "...planning to bring someone home."

    From "outcast" to "individual" to "someone coming home"...

    Sometimes you get so caught up in how far there is to go, but then sometimes you just have to settle back and think how far we've come.

    I've been trekking through Quebec City this week. Not just the tourist traps but through real neighbourhoods where real people live and work. Some hills are just so much fun to climb that you don't even notice how hard you're having to work, how loud your muscles are screaming, how woefully inadequate is your lung capacity. You're making progress. And the view from the top???

    Ahhh!

    (But there's always another hill to climb! :o) )

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment. Disagreement with the blog post and heated debate about issues raised are welcome. However, comments which personally attack or bully another or comments which are not relevant to the blog post or the blog theme may be removed.