Wow, the last time I posted was in 2016. Life has certainly not stopped just because I haven't journaled.
I've been working for the Department of Child Safety for going on 3 years now. A shocking incident happened yesterday. One of the families I've been working with is a mom, dad, and two daughters. The girls are 11 and 7; very cute, smart children. The children were taken into DCS custody due to domestic violence and substance abuse. The police found the residence to be deplorable and called DCS to remove the children. At the time the police were called, the parents were in a domestic violence altercation and both of them were drunk. As time passed, I inherited the case as the ongoing case manager. Unfortunately, since the beginning of the case, the parents have not progressed in the behavioral changes necessary to ensure the children's safety and wellbeing. The parents still do the DV thing when they are together. The other night, the mom spent the night at the father's residence (they've been split up). I don't know what happened during the night, but the mom said she went to bed with music playing through her earphones until the next morning when she got up and found that father dead in the living room. He had hung himself. This is such a sad story. I was pretty shook up about it. The father had contacted me the day before requesting help with paying his rent. I told him that this wasn't a case where we could help because it wasn't the last barrier to reunification with his children since he was still testing positive for alcohol, and he was not homeless. You can't help but feel that every little thing added to his distress and feeling like he wanted to take his own life. It has given me pause to think about how our interactions with others might play on the choices they make down the road.
The twins began attending the singles ward for church today but before they left, they went to church with me in our normal family ward. During Sacrament a lady gave a talk about writing in journals. She reminded us of good points about journaling, advising to write at least once a month, or even once a year. Journaling can help us put thoughts and life into a healthy perspective. I had never thought about journaling for mental health. I have experienced anxiety over the past few years, sometimes very debilitating. I was reading an article recently about how exercise and healthy eating might help it. Maybe journaling can be a helpful tool for my stress and anxiety. My anxiety causes stress and then I fall into ruminating. Maybe journaling will help minimize my anxiety through a little more focus and examination of the root causes. I need to shift my thoughts to a more empowered and action-oriented path. Let this be the beginning of better journaling!
All of my children showed up for the twins' return. Everyone except Xiaojun, Noel, Brickman and Lincoln were able to greet them as they flew into the Phoenix airport. Let it be known that I am posting the group picture but I don't like it that Xiaojun and children were missing in the picture. Thankfully everyone will be here for Thanksgiving and we can get a picture of the whole family. 