Wondering about my Wanderings

family

I am starting to feel a lot better about the season as I talk to my children and family back East. The main constant is to stay in touch and care about each other. n
I was called up late last night by my brother Craig about my brother Glenn who has been isolating himself since Mom's funeral. Mom and him did not get along very well and we worry about him. I shared a story about Glenn that put things in perspective. He was accused of having an affair with a developmentally disabled client and he has rapidly pummeled downward since that event.

Before that happened he was the one family who typified what compassion was about. He would always have his clients with him and always had a story to share. I have been in the developmentally disabled field since his exit from the mental health field. I, too have learned it is very unforgiving and I say in the same breath it needs to be. I am one of many who could not do the job in the proper way. I accidently switched meds (the people in the hearing said as much). The problem was that the person's life was at stake. Shortly after the meds were given he was in the ER. I was given work to do to work toward reinstatement. I was able to do all that was required of me. The only problem is that no one would hire me. All I can say in response is no one should switch medicine and not receive consequences. It hurts and I have needed extensive counseling since the incident to heal.

Glenn on the other hand found himself on meds that he refused to take and mental health professionals said he burned out his brain. He is in a halfway house and will no doubt be there for the rest of his life. I can see the point of protections for clients who are innocent. It is sad to see how quickly reputations can be ruined and lives become refuse in the name of caring and at some points risking life to give quality care. I have ranted enough. Anyone reading might think I wasted my breath. After all I agree wholeheartedly quality protection of the mentally handicapped needs to always be a priority. I guess the only thing that matters is Glenn needs someone to care about him. I was coaching my brother Craig to do the same.

I also had a shift in focus yesterday in relation to call. I had been mentally ill two years before I left for Kansas city. In the name of Jesus I came to a foreign land. Just yesterday it was as if I woke from a dream and realized that the main reason was to prove to myself that I was not mentally ill. It is a sobering realization. All of a sudden I am not specially called, but I do join the family called the human race. Maybe that is all that matters.