The Healing Place; Kay Parker

"Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it."

- Tori Amos


"Healing yourself is connected with healing others."

- Yoko Ono

  

 
"The only work that will ultimately bring any good to any of us is the work of contributing to the healing of the world."

- Marianne Williamson

 

Healing

 

 

       Kay Parker was someone that I just wanted to go up and hug after class rather than shake her hand. Though she wasn't as strong of a speaker as many of our past speakers, she made up for it with a radiance of caring for others. I can't think of anyone I know with a disposition that would be more suited to work somewhere like the Healing Place.

 

       Thinking about "what [I] would do, even if [I] were not being paid for it" made me think of the discussion we had in my Business Law class that I had just a few hours before this forum; we talked about how we would have to either try and balance what we want to do and what we could do to make the most money, or choose one or the other. Mrs. Parker told us several times that she didn't feel like she was working whenever she helps out at the Healing Place and is very thankful to have found a way to live her passion.

       I would volunteer at the Healing Place just to be immersed in the loving atmosphere, but it also seems like a place to help those who may not receive help elsewhere just because others would not view their struggles as a significant problem. It really seems like they will work with you and your schedule if you want to help out, which is one of the major problems I'm having with finding volunteer work.

       I really appreciated when Mrs. Parker walked us through a way to deal with emotional stress. I had never thought that actually voicing your worries to yourself was such a dire step in the process. She also reinforced what my dad has always taught me: physical release of stress is absolutely crucial in dealing with it. We have a punching bag in our basement and we'll go for a run if we're feeling angry, upset, or stressed. There have been so many times that I have been really upset and I'll go for a run and when I come back I feel like I have put everything to peace or can't even remember why I was upset in the first place.

       I am glad that Mrs. Parker was able to turn her dream into reality and have such great success with it. I hope that I will be able to do the same thing and I'm glad that she shared with us. I'm definitely adding the Healing Place to my list of possible volunteer opportunities!