CEO Update 8.20

As the uncertainty continues…We Are Here.

Hello friends, I come to you today with smoky, hazy skies subduing the view out my window and standard dry late-summer heat bearing down on me when I walk outside.

Let’s face it, while I do feel:

• Lucky that I don’t live in an area being consumed by forest fires, tornadoes or floods;
• Grateful that I have family and friends that I see regularly (following safety guidelines);
• Safe because I have a comfortable home to return to, am blessed to drive my own car and have a private office to work in;

I am feeling stressed and frankly a little cranky in the face of the uncertainty we are dealing with.

I miss seeing “my kids”!

– Comment from a Boise District school teacher

Then I hear these words from just one of our dedicated, caring, and passionate school teachers and I feel guilty for feeling any stress or being at all short-tempered. When I think of the teachers who chose to teach because they love the interaction they have with their students —and right now don’t have that same ability to interact with them in person. When I think of the parents who have school-aged children at home and are having to juggle work and lesson plans. Then I think of the parents who have lost their jobs and are not sure how they will pay their rent — yet still have to worry about their child’s education and emotional well-being. And all the young people who will miss out in participating in sports and activities they love, celebrating their senior year in a meaningful way.

This uncertainty has no definite end in sight. There is no timeline, no date that we can hold onto, a date when we can expect life to return to “normal”. If I had that, I could put it on the calendar and I could mark off the days — looking forward with anticipation and planning what that would look like. Instead, I continue in this “limbo land” — feeling extremely blessed with all I have as well as a job that allows me to focus on assisting others who need the WCA services even more than ever.

With a start – I realize that this uncertainty that creates stress for me and makes me irritable is the type of uncertainty that someone living in an abusive household gets to look forward to each and every day — also with no end in sight — but with more serious consequences. So while I miss gathering with friends the way I used to, miss eating out without a thought of contracting COVID-19, miss not worrying that for every physical twinge or discomfort I feel that it is a harbinger of this awful disease – I do not have to worry about being safe in my own home.

When I received news of our “stay-at-home” order, I thought of the things I would have to put on hold for a while. Unfortunately, for many others in our community, they received news of these same “stay-at-home” orders and live each day hoping they will survive with their life. Not afraid of COVID-19, but rather afraid of staying home.

Home is not safe for everyone. Thank you for providing the resources that allow the WCA to be here for those who need us. We are here. Anyone can call our 24-hour Domestic Abuse Hotline at 208-343-7025. Anyone can call, from anywhere, anytime.

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