Got up and got going and took Sophia to the Vet to get her stitches out this morning. When we got to the Vet I always check the lobby before I go in so I know what kind of trouble Sophia might get into. I saw what looked like a dog the size of a miniature pony.
When we went in I was surprised to see it was a miniature pony! For once, Sophia wasn’t the tallest animal in the clinic.
The tech took Sophia to the back and took out her stitches. No one said anything to me afterwards so assumed everything healed nicely.
We came home and I unloaded Sophia and then went to the Grand for lunch. On the way home I stopped by the Sheriff’s office to ask for the name and number of the person in charge of the detention center.
Came home and gathered my courage and called the person. At first I didn’t think I was going to get very far with him. He was a bit defensive and assured me the detainees had everything they needed. I ask about several options including commissary funds, visitation expenses, personal hygiene products, socks, etc. Chase County is a turnaround facility and the detainees are there for a short time. Some only spend 48 hours there and most are gone within two weeks. There are a few exceptions, however. He discouraged me from any of my ideas due to the short nature of their stays and how difficult it is to track them after they leave.
We ended the conversation getting nowhere but he said he would talk to someone else and see if they could come up with something. To my surprise and gratitude he called me back about an hour later and had two suggestions for me. He said he thought the detainees would appreciate having card stock and stamps so they could send notes to people at home. He also said due to the increase in population the yard they use for exercise could use some more soccer balls and basketballs.
I put a post on a site I follow on Facebook that has over 36,000 people that share my political views and I also put it on my own personal Facebook page. The response has been overwhelming in a wonderful way. I didn’t set a goal but what has already come in has far surpassed what I dreamed of. I will need to contact the guy that runs the center on Monday and tell him he needs to dig deeper as I will have more money than needed to buy cards, stamps and balls. Every time I check my Venmo balance it has gone up and up and up!
Most of the replies I am getting on the post I put on the political site are very positive. A few have expressed some strong hate and anger but the positive ones far out weigh the negative ones.
One of the ladies called me. I didn’t know her but she had been doing some work to accomplish what I am doing. She lives in fear and was too frightened to call to ask what they needed. We had a good discussion about staying in love and out of fear. Not sure she is ready to let go of her fear but maybe a seed was planted.
I trust this will send a strong message to him and others at the Center that there are lots of people who care about what is happening within the walls of the Center and to the people that are being detained. I also trust that I can build a trusting relationship with the Center and that I will be allowed to do more things to show the detainees that we care and support them.
I baked a double batch of oatmeal raisin cookies this afternoon to take to the Celebration of Life lunch tomorrow. I think they turned out OK. I didn’t burn even one batch this time!
Tomorrow I need to be in Ottawa around 11:45 so will leave here around 10:30 or so. It is going to be another hot one tomorrow so trusting the park will have some shade. Trust I won’t forget the cookies!
Sunday and Monday are empty space days so far. I will have lots of Facebook posts to respond to on Sunday since I will be gone tomorrow. I need to have some follow-up conversations on Monday about my Facebook posts that will keep me busy for a bit. I needed a project and guess I found one!
This might get interesting for me in ways I didn’t anticipate. My challenge will be to stay regulated and in the space of love and not drop into the anger and hate that some will want to pull me into. That energy is the energy that created this mess and will not help get us out of it. Grateful I have some empty space days ahead of me as I have a feeling I will need them to recharge and respond.
Sitting in love tonight and overwhelmed with remembering how people want a different reality. I am also reminded I need to use my gifts to help bring that new reality into present time.
Grateful for the beautiful response I am getting to my post, grateful Sophia is healing nicely, and grateful for all the beautiful humans in this world that are willing to bring more love into this world.