I truly believe that many years ago, in the early 90’s, I was lead by God to work with those who were destined to spend much of their lives in the correctional system. Some had severe issues with drug addiction, had suffered emotional, mental and physical abuse to the point where a few actually took on multple personalities in order to survive a day.

This lead to doors being opened working with the developmentally challenged. Not only were my eyes opened, but my heart.

My original dream in 1991 was to become a Unity Minister. I went to Kansas (love this part, as my favourite movie is the Wizard of OZ) for almost a month,for the purpose of taking the Unity pre-ministerial training. I loved it there. The grounds, the buildings, the never-ending peaceful vibration..

Ah, but when I arrived back home in Ontario, there was a message for me that a Correctional Service Agency wanted me to work in their group home with adult women.
So, I prayed. And what I was told was my service might not look like a minister in a church, but in my daily living and a simple word or action might just change the life of another. And it is master who learns how to peaceful and loving in an environment of chaos.

And here I am 20 years later. God certainly knows what is going on. I have learned so much from so many I have worked with. The hidden intelligence, pure, untouched love, profound statements from people you could not even fathom how they got to a place where that would come out of their mouth.
I worked with a fellow who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. When he became agitated his protocol was to “give him space” so that he could walk off whatever was causing him distress. One day he was pacing down the hall, and I asked him if he was OK. He said, without missing a beat, “I am OK. I am just ignoring myself.”

I have never forgotten this. It was obvious to him, that if he “ignored himself” meaning the voices in his head, he would be OK. And he was. And once he felt Ok, he would then go from person to person, singing this commercial from the 60’s, and filling the room with joy. And next thing you knew, everyone was laughing.

This one person, had been removed from society at the early age of seven to an institution by his mother. She was now 85 and on those few occasions when he was allowed to visit her, his one question to her was, “why did you take me there? Did you decide you didn’t love me? I didn’t need to go there because I was different.”
He spent 30 years looking at concrete walls, and receiving shock treatments on a weekly basis.

There are times when I think I have it hard, I think of him, and so many others I have met over the years.
And how they came into my life to teach me.

Sorry to be so long-winded. This is a topic for which I am passionate about.