In case there’s some confusion about the cookies, I wasn’t always the St. Louis Healthy Living Examiner, a freelance contributor for the Examiner.com since 2009. I was also a mother (my greatest role), an advocate/trainer working in a domestic violence shelter, and a blogger. Right now, I’m in transition: Switching platforms, but slightly…
The name of my blogging site was (and still is): “What…cookies again?“ Before you abandon me (this post), the title does have a meaning and it has absolutely nothing to do with baking:
It was all the side writing, and the few extra pennies that came with it, that allowed me to escape from the things I continued to see and hear while working in a domestic violence shelter… The writing allowed me to remain focused, relevant and efficient.
Call me crazy, but I’ll say it was definitely the coffee, vitamins (honestly, gallons of caffeine and B12), and a great support system that allowed me to balance life while I spent thousands of hours away from home. Away…all hours of the day and night working in a confidential location. Yes, even on Christmas.
There are a lot of shelters open 24/7/365; someone has to be there.
It was, I’m sure, divine intervention (call it faith, spirituality or whatever you believe) that allowed me to remain human, humble and in the mode of compassion. Divine intervention kept me from falling apart at the seams and from drowning in a sea of secondary trauma.
And cookies? As we all know, cookies (e.g., life’s best lessons, stories shared across all divides, hope beyond realms that seem impossible, etc.) are not just for potlucks.
Although I’m no longer working from the inside of a domestic violence shelter, those on the outside might need voice…
If you can’t find me through missouriadvocate.com, there’s also LinkedIn.
What...cookies again? 
Hello from the Solidarity Challenge on “Your Success Inspirer”! Cookies are good, whether they’re the tangible, sweet kind or tidbits from life. Blessings on you.
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Thank you, lifehelps! Blessings to you as well!
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I still love cookies 🙂 My Mom loved to bake and I often came home from school (which was traumatic) and was met with fresh baked cookies. So literal cookies or whatever happens to lift you up and comfort you through this often harsh world is valuable indeed.
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Me too and agreed 🙂
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