#334 - T

This postee is a girl that I worked with in a hospital somewhere in my health care career.  She is my age.  She got married in her early twenties and at the date of the incident that sticks in my mind, she did not have children.  (I have since lost touch with her and do not know her status now).  Anyway, the reason that she makes my blog is because of what happened to her.

Let me backtrack a little...  I had worked with her before.  It was not a rotation that I did regularly, but prn on the weekends.  She was always nice and friendly.  Each time we would work together, we would talk a little more and were getting to know each other better.  She was one of those people who did not have the school background to allow her to move up in the therapy field, but that did not mean that she did not have great patient care skills.  She knew that hospital and treated those patients better than a lot of therapists that I have seen in action.

One Saturday however, she was late getting to the hospital.  I was kind of waiting around for her because she was able to tell me who needed what in what order.  This saved me a lot of time from having to go and find and read each patients chart individually.  Anyway, about 30 minutes late, she arrived.  She was wearing very dark and big sunglasses.  Since it was 8:00 am on a Saturday morning, I jokingly said, "Late night???"  She did not laugh.  She also did not take off her sunglasses.  She just grabbed the clipboard and said, "Ready to get started?"  I found it so out of character for her that I pushed saying, "Are you going to wear those glasses inside?"  She turned to me and lowered the glasses to reveal a huge black eye.  I know my eyes widened.  She just pushed the glasses back up and walked out to get started.  I sat there for a moment, not really knowing what to think.  The other tech who had been sitting there was quick to fill me in.  "Her husband has a temper and he hits her," she said.  I was completely shocked.  "And she lets him?!?!?!" I asked.  "She loves him." the tech replied.

To this day I do not get it.  That is not love.  I am not a psychologist, but I know that she did not love herself if she allowed the one person who is supposed to cherish her to beat her.  Love is about taking up for one another and protecting one another.  It is about having someones back...no matter what.  There is no room for fear in love.

#334 never mentioned a word of this to me.  I have no idea if she stayed with her husband or if she left him.  I do think of her from time to time however and include her in my prayers.  I know that there is a high percentage of abuse in this country and many women feel that they cannot leave or get themselves out of these situations.  For #334 and for all of those women out there...please pray this prayer today.


Praise to you, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, source of all consolation and hope.
By your Son's dying and rising He remains our light in every darkness, our strength in every weakness.

Be the refuge and guardian of all who suffer from abuse and violence.
Comfort them and send healing for their wounds of body, soul and spirit.

Rescue them from bitterness and shame and refresh them with your love.
Heal the brokenness in all victims of abuse and revive the spirits of all who lament this sin.

Help us to follow Jesus in drawing good from evil, life from death.
Make us one with you in your love for justice as we deepen our respect for the dignity of every human life.

Giver of peace, make us one in celebrating your praise, both now and forever.
Amen.



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+ Bishop John F. Kinney
Bishop of Saint Cloud, MN
Imprimatur given May 15, 2002

© 2002 Diocese of St. Cloud. All rights reserved.