Making childhood memories...and making sure they're good ones
Like so many of you, I just returned from summer vacation, a trip to the cooler climes with my husband and two kids. In our case, the trip took us to mid-coast Maine where, in the early 1960s, my grandparents built a small cottage on a lake (think On Golden Pond).
To me, Maine is a combination of very basic but wonderful experiences...being at the lake, picking wild blueberries, watching for loons, and having clams every way possible. It's a combination of Blueberries for Sal and One Morning in Maine all wrapped into one.
Although I visited the lake many times as a child, this is second year we have travelled north to spend time with extended family, helped much by my sister's purchase of the cottage next door to the original house. These visits have provided me with an opportunity to share the simple pleasures of life by the lake with my kids, passing on both family traditions and the message that it's important to slow life down for a while.
As one of my friends put it, we were busy "making memories." I like that, and I really value that my boys will return -- again and again -- to a place that is an important part of my family's collective history. A place where memories have to do with the sound of loons and the first taste of lobster.
I'm back at work now, trying to hold on to that feeling of being in Maine while recognizing that summer itself is soon to end. A look at my calendar reminded me that I was due to attend a luncheon meeting today, hosted by Darkness to Light, a national nonprofit based in Charleston that confronts child sexual abuse.
I know, big leap, talking about Maine and blueberries then switching to a nasty, unpleasant topic like child sexual abuse. But, to me, the leap makes sense. Fresh from making wondering memories with my children, I found myself considering the horrific but all-too-prevalent problem of children being preyed on by adults and making the kind of memories that cause a lifetime of damage.
The meeting was a part of Prevent-a-Thon, a month-long program raising awareness about child sexual abuse and offering free prevention training. Anne Lee, the founder, president and CEO of the organization, was the host today, sharing stories, data and vision with us about how to not just tackle but eliminate the problem.
Two things really stuck with me today. First was the 24-minute video where four victims (now adults) shared their stories. It is clear to me that abuse strikes far and wide, across economic and racial barriers, in so many forms that we would prefer not to think about. Second was the fact that there is already a cure that doesn't require expensive investment in laboratory research.
The cure, as you might have guessed, is to prevent the abuse. So Anne and her very capable team are working to spread their message through as many avenues as they can, with passion and belief that each person who is trained will help identify, respond and prevent the children in our community -- in our lives -- from being abused.
I invite you to click this link to learn more. Anne promised that she'll let me know when the video is available on the Darkness to Light website. I'll post a link to it so you can spend 24 minutes sharing in stories that, although deeply sad, are inspiring many to join the prevention effort. We might not be able to make every child's memories as sweet as those my boys have of Maine, but we can move the dial in the right direction.
Doing nothing just isn't an option.