Thursday, September 04, 2008

Dear (fill in the blank)

Earlier this week I had coffee with a lady who's recently been to the police to report her ex-boyfriend who's been harassing her. In their previous relationship she was physically and sexually abused by him and was terrified that it was all going to start again.

She showed me a letter she'd had from the police. She was absolutely delighted with it. 'They're treating me like a person, like someone who matters. They're listening to me and giving me respect.' I looked at it; it was a bog standard letter with just her name written into the Dear bit.

She had another letter from a different organisation as well. 'Look at that! They've bothered to reply. And it's on headed paper.' She was so thrilled. Two letters on headed paper that gave her value.

After the Bible study in Zac's on Tuesday a young lad came in and sat at the counter. He had a cup of tea and some cake. He was so drugged up it was hard to understand what he was saying but I gathered that he was only just 18, that he'd been living with his brother but his brother had now thrown him out and he was wondering where he was going to spend the night. He'd come to Zac's because he'd been told there were sleeping bags to be had there.

I suppose I'm naive and I've led a sheltered life but how do people come to this? I take respect for granted. I assume I will be treated as someone worthwhile; I expect to be believed if I say something. I can't imagine having children and not caring where they are or what they're doing. There's nothing my children could do that would make me stop loving them or trying to help them.

How can this cycle of misery be broken? God alone knows.
xx

7 comments:

Dragonstar said...

I have no answers Liz. Just come from Devonshire Dumpling at No Clue. What answers are ther>

Rose said...

Liz, This is why I enjoy coming here to visit. I just sat down to read a few blogs quickly while my clothes dry out and I find myself immersed in all your stories, from dear George to thought-provoking posts such as this one and your conversation with God. That post, by the way, is so inspiring!
Re this post--I wish I knew the answers, too. We live in a throwaway society, I'm afraid.

Leslie: said...

It is so sad and it happens everywhere! When I was teaching one year, one of my students' mother threw him out! He was 9 years old! She was an alcoholic and separated from the father and the poor boy had to walk all the way to his Dad's in the dark! Criminal!

Susan said...

Liz, Your blog has had such meaning for me these past few days. I have been swimming in a lot of this recently. I work with women that worry about how to spend more money and whine about incidental things while I have 2 students dealing with issues that 5 years old are too young to dal with~one is in a homeless shelter for the 2 time in a short period of time and the other has a mother dying. How do people get to the end of there rope and How do people not see what is going on around them. I am struggling with these things recently~I wish I knew the answer. But I am glad that I am blessed to know that God is in the answer.

Anna said...

My email is not working. also was in Reading all day yesterday (bleurgh). Hoping the email server will resolve itself without me doing anything, as I have no idea what is happening. pfff.

cheshire wife said...

Life isn't fair. But that does not answer your question.

Suburbia said...

It is a mystery to me too.