Voicelessness and Emotional Survival > Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
mental health
lighter:
That sounds so solid and dialed in, Hops. I'm glad you persevered and remained authentic in the group.
Lighter
Hopalong:
Thanks.
I'm always authentic there...it's 99% of the time a very safe space for me.
I persevere because I've been leading it --or other versions-- for years. (I introduced rotating leadership for our sessions several years ago as I was burning out. It helps!)
I'll be especially happy when spring comes and I can host it in my home (or out on my patio, covid depending) again.
hugs
Hops
Hopalong:
The Afghan refugee project (a drive for sewing machines, for the modest clothing they can't find here that will work for them) has been pretty amazing.
After my post on a neighborhood (city wide) website that described what they're dealing with...mainly the women, crammed into hotel rooms with multiple children and not enough clothes to wear....and that their top need was sewing machines (many of the men sew their own garments too)...we've had an amazing response we can barely keep up with.
People have left us 20 machines so far --with more committed-- on the porch of our congregation-owned house beside the church, plus bags of fabrics and notions. Some are donating cash or gift cards for fabric or Amazon, so our mentor-volunteers can sit with them and show them how to choose bolts of fabric online. We've even heard from people out of town (guess that's how positive social media works). The offers keep coming in every day--I put up my original post a week ago. The local TV station sent a reporter and the main coordinator of our project got interviewed. It seems to have injected goodwill and excitement among a lot of generous people here.
VERY good for mental health. I keep writing weekly updates and feel a little as though I'm on a runaway horse but it's worth it! Nice to participate in good news amid all the bad I read every day. It's contagious, the desire to help, and I've found it very moving.
hugs
Hops
Phyll:
Sounds like a very worthwhile cause Hops. Helping others never fails to draw me away from my own troubles, real or imagined. :) My husband ordered a sewing machine for me a couple years ago - I was surprised to find they were relatively inexpensive (for the limited skill set I possess).
Hopalong:
45+ sewing machines so far, and more offers still arrive. Amazing.
Their needs are massive, as is their trauma. Most were at Kabul airport where even if they'd managed to grab a few family photos, most belongings got lost in the chaos. Most of these families arrive with literally nothing, or a very few things in trash bags. And many small children.
In the middle of a nationwide affordable housing shortage.
Hops
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