Volunteer

Today I went to the event at the local craft mega-mart and knit a “square” to be made into afghans which will then be donated to organizations which distribute them to people who need them. I take great issue with the fact that the “square” was 7×9. That aside, it was nice. I had a few m&m’s, knit a square, found out that my hat in progress was actually a moebius which meant frogging about 500 stitches, and chatted with some lovely people. They’re still collecting more squares, so I might try to do at least one more. We have some acrylic of odd colors which I could use. Simple garterstitch is a great way to practice. I did some of my square knitting continental and the tension was pretty good.

I’m going to count this as a volunteering activity, since it was for a non-profit organization which supports orphaned children in the US.

The saddest thing about orphaned children in this country is that the vast majority of them were taken from living parents who either cannot care for them, or don’t care, period. Poverty doesn’t mean you can’t still be a decent parent who raises their children with respect and discipline. If people really don’t want to do the work of parenting, including being financially responsible, why do they have the children anyway? Use birth control, or keep your hands, etc., to yourself. It is that freaking simple.

I know an intelligent young woman who has so much emotional baggage from the way her mother treated her, and her father’s abandonment, that she’s completely screwed up, and can’t make good use of her talents and intelligence. Although she was taken in by someone who wanted to do right by her, it was too late, as she was already damaged by the abuse and loss she’d already suffered. The woman who’s been raising her feels terrible now that the girl is going in the wrong direction, and as she’s an adult, technically, there’s nothing she can do about it. She doesn’t have the natural authority of a mother, with whom a child has spent a lifetime bonding. So we’re left watching this horrible self-destruction, hoping that when it’s all said and done, we’ll be able to help her pull her life back together. I know she could do really well, if it weren’t for all the crap she’s dealing with in her head. She doesn’t even seem to realize that she needs psychological help. The counselor we got for her was rebuffed, so there’s nothing any of us can do until she’s ready. I just hope wholeheartedly that she comes to her senses before she’s developed an addiction, gotten pregnant, or contracted HIV.

If you’re a fast knitter or hooker, you could still possibly donate a scarf to the Red Scarf project, and let some kid who doesn’t have anyone know that there are people out there who care what happens to them, and supports them, even if it’s silently, from afar.