Count Your Blessings

  This time of year is so busy with holiday celebrations, shopping, cooking and getting homes ready for family time, we tend to forget what we are actually doing all of these things for. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect on the blessings we have in our life-- from our families to employment to our friends who support us. It is so easy to go through the day and ask God to help you with this or that, but it is harder to take time to focus and tell Him the things for which you are thankful. Dr. Charles Stanley, a well-known Christian writer and minister, says in a recent devotion:

  “Thanksgiving refreshes our souls as we spend time with God, concentrating on His goodness and grace. Anxiety is replaced with peace, and despondency with joy. If you wake up each morning and thank the Lord for deliverance from the power of sin, provision for all your needs, and guidance for the day ahead, what is left to cause worry or discouragement?

  To establish a habit of thanksgiving, recall God’s loving kindness in the morning, and recount His faithfulness at night. Thank Him for blessings—and also for the deep work He is doing in you through difficulties. As you start to see situations from His perspective, your gratitude and trust will grow.”

  How great would it be to go through the day with fewer anxieties and fear about situations? Developing this habit of focusing on blessings and the positives could have a powerful influence on people’s attitudes and perspectives. Now you ask: How can we apply this to our daily lives working with at-risk children? 

1.       Pray for your residents and coworkers often….but also remember to thank God for the blessings you receive from them daily.

2.      Focus on positives with your residents---try to catch them doing good things! This will eventually become habit and they will begin to see themselves in a more positive light.

3.       Being a part of the team at HopeTree is hard work—no matter what role you play!! Sometimes we just don’t have the answers about how to help the children we serve. We worry, stress, obsess and personalize their problems until we are so stressed out it affects our work and maybe even our health. Dr. Stanley says thanksgiving “refreshes our souls.” Maybe some of the stress of the job will start to be a little less intense if we start thanking God beforehand for the love, guidance and peace we receive from Him daily-- and then see how the day goes! What a blessing it would be at the end of the day to thank God for helping us through a difficult situation! How incredible would it be to start seeing things through God’s perspective, as Dr. Stanley says.

  So, remember to count your blessings daily. God has blessed each of us in different ways, but remember - the most important blessing he gave to us is his Son. Let’s concentrate on that this Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons and remember the sacrifice He made for us.

 Michelle Wright, MSW

 Sr. Director of Social Services

Give Thanks

  There is so much to be thankful for this holiday season. We are thankful for our staff at HopeTree Academy. The highly educated teachers spend countless hours preparing lessons and teaching a demanding population that requires the most sincere dedication. They prepare our young residents to be intelligent, unique, hard-working individuals in a challenging world.

  We are thankful for all the cottage counselors on our Salem campus as well as our two WOODS programs. Their commitment to guide and supervise our residents helps to shape them into fine young men and women. They spend long, thankless days trying to make a difference in a young person's life. Our residents are better people because of you.

  We are thankful for all the social workers in Residential Care, Foster Care & Adoption, and WOODS. Your demanding jobs require long hours and endless paperwork. All of your hard work does not go unnoticed.

  We are thankful for all of our DDM direct support staff. The time you spend with our DDM residents truly makes a difference in their lives. You provide fun, guidance,  and meaning to their lives.

  Lastly, we are thankful for all of our supporters. All of your prayers, gifts, and donations make it possible for us to continue to provide the love and support that all of our residents need. We couldn't do this without you.

Thank you and have a happy Thanksgiving.

The More the Merrier!

  You can never show too much love. It is something that everyone needs and, at the same time, everyone is quite capable of giving. At times, I see so many youth that need the love, support, guidance, and attention that I had growing up and I wonder what will happen to them. Will they ever be able to have the same opportunities that I had? Fortunately, I've met many caring people who are willing to welcome into their lives with open arms this population with such a great need.

  First, I'm proud to announce that HopeTree Academy signed a contract with Roanoke County to provide services to 20 students of the Roland E. Cook Alternative Education Center (You can read about it here, scroll down to the third bolded sub heading). Now, 20 students will have access to the brand new HopeTree Education Center and a committed staff of teachers who are dedicated to providing the specialized alternative education that these students need.

  This past weekend was our Ector Hamrick Walk in Portsmouth. I had the opportunity to talk to a woman there from a nearby church. She brought her entire family to the walk, including several adopted children with disabilities. She was a lively, bubbly woman who had a lot of love to give. It warmed my heart just to know that there are people like her out there willing to open her arms, not just to adoption, but to children with disabilities.

  In the next issue of Caring Times (check our Publications page), there is a story about a woman from Franklin County who was a foster parent for several years. About 2 years ago, she had a family of four sibling to whom she was providing foster care. She fell so in love with them that, despite having two biological children of her own, she adopted all four! With six kids in the house, she really has her arms full. However, I could see that, because of her dedication and flexible schedule, she was able to give these kids all the love that they desperately needed.