Children lightened my load in the early weeks of recovery following our family’s gun violence.
Our next door neighbor lady Judy Sewell taught 2nd and 3rd graders at Harding Elementary in Blacksburg. I volunteered to teach creative movement as part of their PE curriculum.
We’d experiment with different ways to move in space—shaking, bending and stretching body parts for example.
Or we’d imagine swimming through sand or walking on ice. At times we’d be animals and think about how different animals maneuver. It was like telling a story with movement. These kids gave me energy as I worked with them weekly.
On Saturdays I volunteered with my dad’s college buddy Gordy MacInnis. He ran a 4H group of children that were just beginning to learn to work in wood.
Since I was good with children and liked working with wood, Gordy thought I’d be interested in helping him teach the kids. We made candle holders, birdhouses, stools and cutting boards..
Also, I worked with a YWCA summer camp in Asheville with a variety of activities throughout the day for elementary aged kids. I organized a woodworking class for kids to begin to work with wood.
I cut out cars that the kids sanded and then glued up the wood spokes with wheels so the car would roll. Learning to use tools and build with wood guided the children to know survival skills
Working with wood and dance with these kids absorbed me and I had no time to feel depressed. Kids gave out a fresh look at life that helped me to be open to what was around me.
It’s hard to be sad with a child’s outlook on the world. I looked forward to leaving my house and being with kids in the early days of healing.
Onward working with children: working with at-risk children helped me understand the trauma they experienced because I knew trauma.
Each kid had their own way to react to their mistreatment. Some withdrew and it was a challenge to get them to express themselves. Many acted out repeating situations they experienced.
No telling what these kids had been through. They would tell us sometimes, but sometimes just act out. I felt a commonality with these youth.
Now working with Preschoolers at a church, First Presbyterian Church (fpcasheville.org) …the help to recover continues as I share their world.
At this age they are open to all the possibilities and it encourages me to be open, too. They haven’t learned to be inhibited so they don’t censor when talking. Conversations with them are enlightening.
Their laughter and tears strike me as sincere. The children try so hard to communicate and get along with their peers. Sharing proves difficult and we have to work at it. But they do struggle with it, to get along with their friends.
I like the kids’ insights. This is an example:
One time sitting with “my” kids for early Sunday morning snack, we chatted. Six year old Asher, four year old Niyah and five year old William.
Asher looked at me and asked “How old is your aunt?” He must have heard me tell Susan, our volunteer, I wouldn’t be here September 3 because I was going to see my aunt in Minneapolis.
I said “My Aunt is 91.
He replied, “She will die soon.”
“Yes,” I said and I will miss her so much when she goes.”
William spoke up with “They will be with always be with us.”
I said, “Yes, because we love each other, she will be always be with me.”
Healing from Gun Shots 