Skip to main content

What if?

Well, the excitement was building…a little nervous but mostly excited!  I got a new job as Shelter Specialist at Dove Domestic Violence!  I was so excited!! It sounded like something I had always wanted to do!  My first day of work was supposed to have been January 6th, 2014, but it ended up being a snow day.  So, the excitement and nervousness would be put off for another day.  I was pretty nervous not having worked full time for about five plus years, but knew this was going to be something special!  I was ready for a challenge, and a challenge, indeed, it was! 

Let’s fast forward to today, July 22nd,  2014, and see if I’m still that nervous and excited!  Nervous…no, thank goodness!  Excited…yes!  Going back to work full time at the age of 58 was a little scary, to say the least.  Of course, all of the questions flooded my mind, “What if I can’t catch on?”  “What if I’m too old?”  “What if I can’t remember anything?” “What if….what if…what if?”   Finally, I asked myself, “What if I can do it?”  “What if I love it?”  “What if I can remember?”  “What if it all works out?”  Six months later and I absolutely love my job!  It is everything I dreamed of and more!  I work with a great group of women that are so compassionate and knowledgeable and I admire each of them!  The women and children that come into the shelter have blessed me in so many ways.  I tell them they are some of the strongest women I have ever met!  Some of them come in so downtrodden with just a little spark of light left and by the time they leave here I see their confidence, determination and desire to keep on going  growing stronger each and every day.  I am humbled and blessed to be a small part of such an amazing organization which truly loves and cares for those who are powerless and hurt.  “What if I help one woman gain her confidence?”  “What if I comfort a child who is afraid and scared?”  “What if I listen to a woman express her fears while her tears are flowing?”  “What if” can be discouraging or encouraging, a stumbling block or a stepping stone.  Depending on the words following “What if” you and I can make a difference to a woman struggling to find shelter, hope and peace.  What if you decided to accept the challenge to volunteer in one of the many positions available at Dove that need someone just like YOU?!?  And, what if you, like myself, truly end up enjoying it?

                                                        Cheryl Carpenter

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

You don't have to be able to Dance to do Baskets

  Growing up in the world of dance, one of my favorite things to do each year is participate in The Nutcracker Ballet. My favorite part? Giving the audience a magical Christmas experience with the perfect setting of lights, music, glittery costumes, and refined steps by ballerinas. The audience is transported to a magical land of sweets that makes even adults feel like small children in awe and wonder. Of course, that’s just what the audience sees! What they don’t see is the months and months before hand! Long rehearsals, bandage wrapped dance feet, and stage and tech crews working tirelessly so that every detail before the final show is perfected. After several years, I have started comparing the Christmas Baskets Process to that of the process for The Nutcracker Ballet. Starting months and months before, staff and volunteers work endlessly for the exhilarating distribution week to come. With that said, the magical essence of the Ballet experience cannot happen with just the prim
Post a Comment
Read more

“have you talked to a trained domestic violence advocate?"

Have you ever had a victim of domestic violence try and open-up to you about their abuse and you not know what to say or how to handle it? Have you found yourself asking a victim of domestic violence, “why do you stay?” Moultrie County Dove Office understands that without being properly trained on domestic violence and best domestic violence practices, it is hard to know what to say or do when a victim of domestic violence finally decides to open-up to you about their abuse and we want you to be better prepared. Asking a victim of domestic violence “why do you stay” can place emphasis in the wrong place and make the victim feel as if they have done something wrong. In all actuality, there are many reasons victims of domestic violence stay in and return to abusive relationships. Victims of domestic violence stay in abusive relationships for fear for their personal safety and the safety and well-being of their children. Statistics show that a victim of domestic violence is at a 75%
Post a Comment
Read more

Doing our part to make a difference.

 With so much talk everywhere on issues of violence, once again a topic discussed at the CONO (Coalition Of Neighborhood Organizations) meeting this past month in wonder of how to stop violence from happening in our community. Let’s consider narrowed down, violence begins in neighborhoods, no matter where they are. Cities including Decatur, have Stop The Violence campaigns and rallies in order to take a stand and to bring positivity and hope which is so important! But I wonder, doesn’t the remedy lay within each one of us? We must not close our eyes or turn a deaf ear, right, and when we see something, yes, we must say something, but isn’t there more? Doesn’t there need to be hands reaching out to one another in solidarity and hope with a goal in mind like the future of our family, neighborhood and ultimately our world. It begins in a neighborhood, your neighborhood and mine. So, if you don’t already have an active neighborhood group in your area, will you consider starting one? If so
Post a Comment
Read more