Saturday, December 15, 2012
The best gift I could give today
I put down my cucumbers and filled with steam followed these people throughout the store. I was enraged and I don’t even know these people. I just knew that the sight of this 17 yr old young man with tears coming down his cheeks in the now bread aisle of Wal-Mart in the midst of this joyous holiday season broke my heart. Especially after the tragic events that enfolded in Connecticut yesterday. In that state there are a vast number of families who would give anything to turn back time and be able to be enjoying this holiday season with their loved once. Instead they face their greatest fears of losing their child. In the wake of yesterday it seems that one’s response would be to hold their cherished children closer not humiliate them in public.
As the young man was crying in the bread aisle, his father again toe to toe and pointing in his face told him “ you want a bad day, well punk, you got a bad day.” I was fearful of this man so I can only imagine the fear of those who had to go home with him. I continued to follow this family, offering smiles and sincere eyes whenever the two boys looked at me. And I am sure my feelings to the father were on my face when he looked at me as well, which was just as frequent as the boys’ glances my way.
The more I followed, the more I was thinking” What am I doing? I don’t know these people. Is this my business? What do I say if anyone of them approach me? “ I did not know the answers to any of those questions. All I knew was that I felt pulled to follow them. I felt pulled to ensure that this man cooled his jets and while I had no clue what I was going to do to ensure that I was going to do what I was feeling in my gut to do. And that was to simply follow them. After the groceries we headed towards clothes, and then hardware. As we went through the store, the comments to his son slowly ceased and the distance between them grew. As we were cutting through the houseware’s department I heard the younger of the two brothers tell the oldest one “ See I told you someone cares about us.” And they both glanced my way, giving me half a smile that made my eyes swell with tears. Without knowing it, I had done what I was needing to do.
All I could do was muster out “ Merry Christmas” as I walked by them. As I was in line paying for all the things I picked up I seen the oldest son by the water fountain. He made eye contact with me and smiled then mouthed the words “ thank you.” He did not need to thank me. I only did what I felt pulled to do. The entire time I was doing so, I felt that it was not enough. I felt like I should do more. In reality I did what was right. I felt good about what I had done. I am sure that the father will continue to treat his sons poorly at times. But I hope that when they need it, those boys remember that people do care. That image of that young man in black jeans, a carharrt coat and a black cowboy hat is one that I will hold with me for a long time.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Up North
This is the river that separates the US from Canada in Ogdensburg. My Dad has told me so many tales of his and my uncles antics going back and forth over that bridge in their younger days. The saddest though, is that it is at this spot that my Dad's aunt and boyfriend let their car go over the edge to lead people to believe they had drowned. They were young and ran away to go against the family to be married. It was years later when it was discovered that they were alive and living in a different state.
It was nice to spend the weekend with my Dad hearing how Grandma earned "an Abe and a George" while he would help my Grandpa with the milk runs. I laughed so hard my sides hurt at the never ending tales of his and my uncle's ways of passing time and the stunts they would pull. I understood his somberness as he pointed out the exact spot where his Grandma collapsed and passed away along side the road while walking home one night from a friend's house. I saw the sparkle in his eye when we went into the same restaurant for dinner that he used to go to with my Grandma before going to see a movie many years ago. Sometimes parents will tell the same stories many times; I cherish the stories every time. I am glad that my Dad took the time to tell me, show me, and relive with me.
Suitcases
Using two former employees as guides, they happened upon an old attic door. When the door was pried open, they discovered amongst the debris a collection of suitcases. Suitcases that had been placed there many years earlier when their owners had been placed in the hospital. I sat in the overcrowded conference room with my fellow employees and others from many different social services agencies from across the state in awe of the presentation. It was a presentation that touched everyone in the room so deeply that we all left the room overcome with emotions. By using the contents of the suitcases and the patients records the research team worked many years piecing together the lives of the suitcase owners. Many of the suitcases held the person's most prized possessions... photos, clothing, mementos, jewelry, personal care items. All things that once they arrived at Willard they never seen again.
A vast majority of the people who were placed in Willard and labeled as "insane" were not. Refusing to leave a bar when asked to, getting upset over a restaurant messing up their food order, questioning if God truly existed when a spouse and child suddenly lost their lives, crocheting a pair of baby booties while being pregnant then keeping that pair close to her after the baby died during childbirth... all reasons why some were placed in Willard. Questioning why they were there and when they could leave... reasons they were kept there.
As a fundraiser Willard was opened to the public for one day. My Mother and I went together. They only had certain sections of the facility available to tour. Part of the facility is now a boot camp for drug addicted state prisoners. That piece was not available for us to tour. Some residential buildings had been boarded up and condemned as they were unsafe. Those too were not open to tour.
We drifted away from the tour guide when we were on the 3rd floor of the same building. Last I heard the tour guide saying was that people were fortunate to have luxuries here that they may not have had access to had they not come to Willard. While wandering away, I saw a set of doors that were partially opened and labeled "Treatment Room". I walked inside and this is what I seen...
I don't know about you, but those are "luxuries" I could live without.
We went to the morgue where we seen were autopsies were performed and bodies held until the other patients made the casket and dug the grave.
We went into Hadley Hall where there was an auditorium where movies were played and dances held. Downstairs was a bowling alley. It was without any doubt the only building I seen that offered the patients there anything positive and uplifting.
We toured the building that housed medically fragile patients as well as the operating room. We did not however see what it was like in their day as it is now a remodeled building with many updates. We also were able to tour the old nurse training facility. Again, all remodeled now into a day care center.
We were told that they had underground tunnels that connected all buildings to a central building. We also were told that in all buildings patients were able to come and go in and out of. We were told that the patients enjoyed being at Willard and took pride in their work that they did so willingly in the many different labor shops and fields. The people providing the tour stated that when people arrived at Willard, they did not want to leave even when they were told they did not need to be there. This is something that is the direct opposite of what is pieced together in the book I read and the presentation I seen. Both of which were validated by patients records and information from other sources.
There were two buildings that haunted my mind the most there. First the one with the luxurious treatment rooms and cell portioned basement. Second was this building... Nestled in the midst of the other residential buildings.
When I asked what it was, I was at first dismissed. When I continued to pry, I was told nobody knew. I looked in the windows, in the midst of the debris I seen three things... a single cot, a small tray table, and an old wooden chair. There was no door on any side of this building. I returned to the tour guide, telling her what I seen through the windows and asking if it maybe was some sort of a isolation facility. She was quick to tell me that no such isolation ever occurred at Willard and that the building was used for storage. I am not sure what the building's purpose was but regardless it un-nerved me.
While the tour guides information was not the same as the information of the researchers, it was still a nice chance to get inside the facilty and draw my own conclusions and try to see the way things may have been. My only hope is that those buried in the overgrown and unkept cemetary with no markers (as Willard's employees pulled them all from the ground and tossed them over the banksides in thoughts of making it easier to mow) are now truly finding peace.