NEWS RILL

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Governor’s luncheon in Dubuque, Iowa.  I was especially interested in hearing what Governor Chet Culver, the youngest governor in our US history,  had to say about the recovery of his state after the devastating floods and tornadoes ravaged many of its communities earlier this year.  While I’ll share some of the details he included in his address at the luncheon at a later date, today I want to focus on the question I posed to the Governor, his response and perhaps some tools that will help you cope when faced with a crisis.  

While most of the immediate intervention focused on providing for the physicals needs of housing, food, water and medical attention, my question to Governor Culver dealt with the provision for the emotional needs.  I was pleased to hear that a substantial amount of money had been designated for counseling for the many who had been displaced and were dealing with loss.   For many, their loss was compounded after waiting patiently to return to their homes after the clean up only to be faced with further disappointment when they learned they would not be allowed to move back in due to mold or structural damage to their home.  My heart ached as I tried to mentally put myself in their situation.  How were they coping?  What act of benevolence might momentarily ease some of their grief?  What kind of help do they truly need?  The questions bombarded my mind as I imagine they would for you, also.

One thing I’m certain those who sought couseling received was a list of strategies to help them cope.  Here are just a couple of things they were probably encouraged to do, which might also help you when faced with a crisis:

1) Talk about it.  You don’t have to hold things inside.  It’s important to feel free to talk about where you were at the time, what you were doing and how the news of the situation impacted you.  Talk about your initial thoughts and concerns.  Talk about whatever it is that’s on your mind.  Often talking to those who were also impacted by the event can help you not feel so alone but keep in mind that each individual experiences the trauma in his or her own unique fashion.

2)  Allow yourself to feel the emotions associated with the trauma.   There are healthy ways to express your emotions without hurting others.   One way is to journal your feelings.  Write out how you feel and what you’re thinking as it relates to both the event and how you’re coping.   

 3) Tell yourself the truth.  Because depression is a natural part of the mourning process, it is important to be aware that you will experience some irrational thoughts.  You will need to dispute the distorted or irrational thoughts and replace them with truth.     

I hope this will stimulate your thinking concerning other helpful strategies.  I may share more later but I’d also love to hear from you regarding what has helped you successfully deal with a tragedy in your own life.

Blessings!

Bobbie

 

    

    

Tags: Travel by Bobbie
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Thought I’d give you an update on what’s been happening…

1) Brent is engaged! He and Anjali are planning a September 2009 wedding in Phoenix where her parents live. Currently, Brent and Anjali are living in Lawrence, KS so they will also be having a reception/party in that area for all of their friends and co-workers. It’s also possible that some family may decide to attend that event instead of the wedding since it would be closer and more affordable than coming to AZ.

2) Brigette, Skyler and Steve went on vacation for about 10 days and then Steve flew back home for work but Brigette and Skyler kept heading across country. They’ve been gone now for around 7 weeks. They had a terrific time in PA with Mark, Marianne and the boys, went to NYC, etc. (Thank you guys for showing them such a wonderful time. Brigette couldn’t believe what all you did with and for them. She was so appreciative and couldn’t say enough about it.) The list of things they’ve done and the people they’ve been able to see is way too long to go into here. Perhaps I’ll share more at another time.

Here’s what’s been keeping me busy…

1) My web site for women is almost ready to launch. My learning curve is pretty long and slow since this is new territory for me. I’ll let you know when it’s ready so you can take a look at it and give me your input. I’m working on the web site with my friend, Penny Williams, which will make it a lot easier to keep the content fresh and updated regularly. Oh, here’s some pretty exciting news. Carol Kent has been asked to speak on the Moody broadcast concerning prison ministries. Carol is excited about our web site and especially the counseling and coaching component to the site. If we can get the site up and running before the broadcast on the Moody network, she has said she will be glad to promote the site along with her prison ministry, Speak Up For Hope. Both her web site and our counseling services for this particular population are geared specifically for family members - not the prisoners. We’re pretty excited about getting that exposure for the site right off the bat. We’re aiming for a launch date of the first of September for our site and the Moody broadcast isn’t until around the 23rd so we should be okay.

2) I’m heading to Germany on Sept. 17 for two weeks. I’ll be going with a friend, Sue Moser and we will be staying with a mutual friend, Colonel Martha McSally, who’s stationed at the Air Force base over there. Martha’s list of accomplishments is incredibly long. She was the first female, A-10 fighter pilot instructor and also the first female serving as Captain over a squadron at DM AFB in Tucson to be sent to war. But it’s the woman that’s truly amazing. Sue and I are looking forward to seeing her as well as the sites. We are hoping Martha will be able to take some time to travel with us some but Sue and I are also looking into what other countries we want to visit while there. Switzerland is a given but we’re also looking into Austria, etc. We will probably get the three-country pass, which means we will get to visit four different countries counting Germany. Should be fun! If you have any recommendations concerning where we should go and what we should see, let me know.

3) Work is going well. I just got back from an eight-day trip to our Wisconsin/Iowa market and will be heading to GA the first of September for a big music fest on the 6th. Also, I think you know I’ve been serving as a liaison between our new markets and the corp office here in Tucson since the women’s ministry (WOV) has been totally set aside in order to assimilate the new stations. Anyway, I’ve been traveling quite a lot. It’s been fun. We are also looking to purchase yet another station, which I am very excited about. They have also asked me to plan some events for Randy where he can present his new curriculum on Intentional Living. So, they are keeping me busy. Guess that’s good for job security.

4) I’ve also been involved with a group called Lady Leaders and in January started a group on my side of town, which was meeting two times a month for breakfast at one of our restaurants. I was the main speaker but had another gal who spoke when I was out of town. Well, the founders of Lady Leaders has decided to disband LL altogether so my leadership team on this side of town are meeting to re-organize and re-brand our group. Our first meeting is schedule for 9/11 at our home. Since I’m looking to simplify my life, I’d like to brand these meetings the same as the web site that Penny and I are working on. Penny’s okay with this so I’m hoping my leadership team is okay with it, also. I’ll keep you posted.

Whew! Makes me tired just to think about all of it. Bob is doing fine. He’s been my greatest resource on all of the above projects and I don’t think I could do any of it without him and his continual support.

Hope all is going well. Keep in touch!

Blessings,

Bobbie

Tags: Family & Friends by Bobbie
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