The Women of Beacon of Life

On Wednesday evening, I had the opportunity to meet some amazing women. These women are a little different than most women we define as amazing. Usually we identify women such as Oprah, Meryl Streep and (depending on your political leanings) Sarah Palin/Hillary Clinton as amazing women. And certainly they are. But last night I met women like Susan (yes, these names have been changed), who was homeless and a recovering alcoholic; Jennifer, whose drug addiction caused her to “give up” her nine children for adoption, but who just completed her GED, is working, volunteering in her community and working towards her CNA; women who have been victims of domestic violence, have been homeless, and have been convicted of various crimes. But these women, against what looks like insurmountable odds, are battling back. They are taking responsibility for their lives, they are learning new skills that will help them be successful, and they are working hard to turn their lives around. It’s not easy for them, and some may not make it. Their definition of success may be vastly different from most people’s, but they are, day by day, working toward that success.

These are the women who live at Beacon of Life, a non-profit transitional housing center for women. It’s structured and it holds women accountable, but it is also a safe place to land. It’s a roof over their heads and food on the table, but even more than that, it’s a place to go when there is no other place to go. A place to rebuild lives in a supportive environment.

If you get a chance, go take the tour, send them a check, join a committee, or have fun at the Quiz Bowl (a quarterly fund raiser)! Go take a look at http://www.beaconoflifedm.org/.

Places like the Beacon also help the rest of us put our life and problems in perspective, and remind us to be grateful for all the blessings we have in life. Your responsibility, like the women at the Beacon, is to live your own amazing life.

Accountability

I once was the director of a small non-profit. We provided transportation for (primarily) senior citizens. One of our clients “James,” was very difficult. So difficult, in fact, that even my very best drivers refused to drive him, for a variety of reasons. My staff dreaded his calls, because he constantly changed his numerous appointments, creating a scheduling nightmare.

When it became apparent that we were not going to be able to continue to serve him, I sent a letter outlining the difficulties we had had with him, and reminding him that we had visited about these issues before, without resolution.

Interestingly, when he received the letter, he became very angry. He accused me of lying, of assaulting his character, and stated that I was the only one with whom he had a problem. At no time did he ever consider that he might bear some of the responsibility for the drastic step I had taken. None of it was “his fault.”

If we blame other people or events for our failures, we miss out on the chance to grow. Blaming others suggests that if the same situation came up, minus that other person/event, we could behave in exactly the same manner and be successful. Although this may be true sometimes, it is important to recognize what we did or did not do that contributed to the failure. If we do this, then when the situation comes up again, we can correct our own behavior and increase our likelihood of success. And, of course, we can’t control anyone’s behavior but our own anyway.

Are you taking responsibility for your mistakes and doing your best to correct them, or are you allowing denial to keep you from growth and a better, more rewarding way of doing things?

Since When

Since when is it bad to be rich? Isn't every good, whether it's your home, food and clothing, a church building, food for "starving children in (fill in the blank with the current Third World nation needing our help)," a result of money you have earned and spent? Is it not true that more good can be accomplished with money than without?

Since when did wealth start to symbolize greed, rather than achievement, hard work and ambition?

Since when did we stop believing that we had a responsibility to take care of ourselves and our families?


Since when did we decide that the government can do a better job taking care of us than we can?

Since when did we begin thinking that simply wanting something entitled us to it? And further, why do we think the government should be the one to give it to us?

Since when did we start believing that separation of church and state meant we gave up our right to free speech with regard to our religious beliefs?

Since when did we decide it was acceptable and even required under the First Amendment to allow people to spout off about hatred, violence and sexual crimes, but not about God, fearing we might offend someone by talking about the latter, but not the former?

Since when did we stop believing that we are a sovereign nation, and instead begin believing that we are a global "citizen," required to answer to those of other nations?

Since when did we stop thinking that it was important to have one language to unite our country, and instead begin believing it was acceptable to let everyone speak their own language, no matter how much chaos that created?

Since when did we stop thinking it was important for those who wanted to live in our country and take advantages of all the rights that come along with citizenship to actually become U.S. citizens, with all of the responsibilities that that entails?

Since when did we begin thinking it was acceptable to allow individuals to break our immigration laws, and then - to help them do it by providing sanctuary cities, refusing to allow our police to arrest them for breaking immigration laws, and then to provide them with free education, healthcare and welfare benefits?

Since when did we begin believing that simply being born in this country is enough to confer citizenship upon someone?

Since when is it the fault of the United States when attempts to enforce our immigration laws result in separating families? Didn't those parents know the risks that this could happen, and didn't they choose to take that risk?

Since when did we begin believing that it's possible to spend our way out of debt?

Since when did we decide it was acceptable to saddle our children and grandchildren with a huge debt obligation?

Since when did we give up our obligation to be informed about the issues affecting us?

Since when did we stop holding our elected officials accountable for their actions? And when did we decide that "accountable" simply meant voting against them when we didn't like what they were doing? When did we stop communicating our discontent (and anger) at the time they occur, rather than in the voting booth?

Since when did we begin believing that government should regulate everything from our light bulbs to our toilets, from whether business owners can allow smoking in their establishment to how many miles per gallon our cars have to get?

Since when did "social justice" stop being a means to an end (of worshiping and serving God), and instead become an end in and of itself?

Since when did we decide it's a good idea to teach our children that just showing up is good enough to get a trophy?

Since when did we lose faith in our own abilities?

Since when?