As a PeaceWorks advocate, I am amazed and inspired every day I arrive at the shelter. I am inspired by the strength, hope and determination displayed by these clients, who have experienced the darkest days of their lives, yet continue moving forward positively for themselves, their children and pets. As survivors of domestic violence, these clients have surrounded themselves with imagery and reminders of their path. Posted on the walls and fridges are inspirational quotes, and hints of the normalcy they have left behind temporarily but will find again. For instance, a recipe for hummingbird juice was posted by a resident before she discharged, entrusting our hummingbirds’ care to future residents who will also find pleasure and therapeutic value in the simplicity of watching them flutter and listening to them hum.
“Don’t follow someone else’s dreams. Don’t waste time on something you never wanted. Do the unexpected. It’s your life that you are living, not anyone else’s, so do what fulfilled you. Don’t fear the future, don’t fear the unknown. Will it be unexpected? Yes. Yes it will. But that does not make it wrong.” -Sef Scott, Plano Senior High School.
Mr. Scott, a young man with autism, mostly non-verbal, on stage in front of his graduating class, reminds us to follow our own hopes and goals and not just blindly tread a path that doesn’t feel true.
As Mountain Peace Shelter clients and Sef Scott prove every day, we can do this!