“Life is amazing. And then it's awful. And then it's amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it's ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That's just living a heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it's breathtakingly beautiful.”
-L.R. Knost
Is it possible to feel amazing in the midst of awful or feel awful in a moment of amazement? Is either possible without the other? Are awful and amazing equal partners or mutually exclusive? I believe the answer depends on the circumstance, the moment, one’s mindset. Maybe the answer lives in the grey, in the gap between the two. Recently, a poem written by L.R. Knost was shared with me and I sat with the words for a long time.
As I “sat” with Knost’s poem I thought about hope and heartache and the emotional rollercoaster abused and neglected children experience. How do children experiencing foster care hold on through the awful? Do they realize amazing can be right around the corner? Can they capture the beauty of a new day, while grappling with the sadness of yesterday? Who helps them navigate the chaos, the confusion, the unknown, more importantly, the “in between” awful and amazing.
CASA Volunteers are screened, trained and supervised volunteers who advocate for the best interest of children requiring court intervention. CASA Volunteers help navigate the heartache, the chaos, the “awful.” CASA Volunteers are amazing, ordinary people who lend their voice for children who experience abuse and neglect in our community.
Abused and neglected children experiencing foster care know the awful.
A CASA Volunteer can help them hold on through the awful.
A CASA Volunteer shows up to fill the gap between the awful and the amazing.
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Please click here to learn how you can help abused and neglected in our community.
