An Honor with a Smile

I love surprises in my inbox. They don't happen often. But today I got one.

Author and speaker, Verna Bowman has honored me with the Versatile Blogger Award. That basically means she likes my blog and finds hope and encouragement from reading the words I pen.

And that makes me smile.

So today I would like to give a little gift to some authors whose blogs I follow. Some write words of encouragement, several enlighten me on issues I'm passionate about, and others teach me to write well.

http://writehisanswer.wordpress.com/
http://www.aholyexperience.com/
http://menshatteringthesilence.blogspot.com/
http://cecmurpheyswritertowriter.blogspot.com/
http://evamarieeverson.blogspot.com/
http://www.widowschristianplace.com/
http://angelasvoice.blogspot.com/
http://accewillard.blogspot.com/
http://scottandjanemiller.blogspot.com/
http://lightmeetsdarkness.blogspot.com/
http://www.proverbs31.org/devotions/
http://jackmerzig.wordpress.com/contact-info/
http://themiddlemom.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/there-are-no-unwanted-children-just-unfound-families/
http://vernabowman.com/


Thank you writer friends for taking the time to craft words that impact my life. Today I honor each of you with the Versatile Blogger Award.

A Website is Born

Today is an exciting day for me.

Today I freely give the best of my work to others.

And today others (an illustrator, a vidographer, a web designer, a voice-over team, an editor, and countless others) give the best of their talents freely to us all.

We offer our gifts at http://www.riseandshinemovement.org/

Now we humbly ask that you offer our gift to others.

Share our link. Like us on Facebook. Email your friends.


                           Let us help you protect the children you love from sexual abuse.
                                  And you can help us protect the children of the world.

Changes (Warning Signs of Abuse, Part 1)

“She didn’t want to get on the bus. She never hesitated before, in fact, she always liked to ride the bus.”

I attended an excellent seminar, this week, entitled “The Many Faces of Abuse” led by Beverly Franz PhD. I heard story after story regarding cases of abuse. The above quote comes from a mother who discovered there was sexual abuse occurring on her daughter’s school bus.

Dr. Franz stated firmly and often, “People don’t just change their behavior.”

Copyright 2012 Rise and Shine Movement

  

If your child has a change in behavior, ask yourself, “What caused this change in behavior?” And don’t give up until you find the answer.

When Trust Isn't Enough

“She told, and I trusted the authorities to do the right thing.”

This is a quote from a mother whose child was violated by fellow student at her school. What the mother learned was that those who govern organizations are many times ignorant toward the complexities of sexual abuse and too often organizations protect themselves before they protect the victim.

It was a hard lesson.

Unfortunately, parents cannot rely on organizations to protect their children from sexual abuse or handle abuse allegations properly should abuse occur. We are our children’s best advocates.   

Copyright 2012 Rise and Shine Movement

We must teach our children what sexual abuse is, what they should do should they encounter it, and that they can always come to us should a violation occur—no matter who was involved. And we must report abuse to the proper authorities—no matter which organization (school, church, community) is involved.