I have learned a great deal by looking at things from another’s perspective. The obvious example is my work with Inca. She and I have done very well together, and we are beginning to find a rhythm with Mary. We have taken to alternating time with her, bolstering her with strength and soothing her with love. Inca has learned from me to look for the reason behind Mary’s feelings, to see if her weakness comes from loneliness or from something…
Today was a long day. I went first to Pamela, who was feeling despondent about the thought of going back to school tomorrow. Her supervisor Christine took her side immediately and is working hard to get her assigned to a new school, but nothing has been finalized yet, and even if it is, Pamela will still likely have to finish out the semester. Another five weeks of this seems to her to be more than she can bear. Morgan was…
Some of you have been asking me about Pamela. I have kept close to her, of course, but much of what she has been going through has not been worth writing about. The temptation of Daniel’s nearness, the constant awareness of Stefanie’s antagonism, and a rumor beginning to be whispered around the school that took the warmth from the other teachers’ voices when they spoke to her—there have been many a night when I could only stay with her and…
Sometimes it happens that I miss the joyful things to deal with the harder things. That is the price we pay for being able to help our brothers and sisters on the ground. Yesterday, while I was helping Lauren to deal with the manipulations of a protective mother, Theo and Cayce were reunited at last. Inca was there, and she shared every detail with me. While it is not the same as being there myself, I was still glad to…
Sometimes, when a person lives at a distance, their identity seems less vibrant, less powerful. This is even the case with someone dearly loved, sometimes; Brooke and Morgan have been struggling with that very thing lately, needing reminders to contact one another and being uncertain how the other would respond to a certain situation or event. This is not, however, the case with Felicity Harris. Jonathan’s invitation for Lauren to join him when he goes to visit his parents for…
Thank you to all of you who have been concerned for Mary. She is better now, though Inca continues to spend every moment she can with her. I do, too, but I do have my other charges to attend to, while Inca right now only has one other. I spent today with Brooke as she went about her work. I have dropped in on her often these past few days, taking what time I have to give her a boost…
I should know better by now to expect a straight path with any of my charges. All the high praise that I have been given comes also with a heavier responsibility, and an expectation that I will be able to cope with more difficult challenges. Mary had a very bad night last night. She was coping with a great deal of stress: she has an exam tomorrow in her worst subject, and she has less time to study now that…
Finally, finally there has been a positive development with Shannon and Mark. It has been a long evening, and rather more exhausting than most I spend on Earth, but I am pleased with the result. In the past few weeks, Shannon has not heard from Mark more than once or twice. I have done what I can to encourage her that he has contacted her at all, but working with her is much like hauling a heavy weight up a…
Only time for a quick update, but Inca has just told me something that I must pass on or I will burst with the joy of it. Theo and Cayce are going to be reunited. Ever since their separation, Theo has continued the search for her friend. Her parents have been very supportive, well aware that Cayce likely saved Theo’s life while she was living homeless. They did manage to persuade Theo to come back home, where she is now…
What a day! What a day of opportunities and excitement and inspiration, a new beginning that may lead to a happy ending. I am so full of emotion, exhausted by the journey of a single day. It all began with a plan that would not have worked without Sabasa’s assistance. The thought that I had, about having Myrtle watch Blake’s performance, stayed with me, until a new idea had come out of it. I did indeed encourage Myrtle to attend…