Love, support and kindness
EDITOR: A sincere thank you to all the Cloverdale community volunteers who eagerly support their friends who have experienced catastrophic illnesses, those with disabilities, and those families facing many hardships.
You know who you are. You tirelessly provide transportation to doctors appointments and treatments. You cook, arrange for entertainment to lighten their load. You organize fund raisers to provide financial assistance for those in need. Again, thank you for your support.
Mental illness is also catastrophic. Although difficult to diagnose, the mentally Ill are frequently misdiagnosed as drug addicts, alcoholics, bullies or just unintelligent jerks. It’s time to emerge from the dark and step into the light. Mental Illness is the real deal. It’s time to become knowledgeable about mental health and its treatment. Isolating the mentally ill is detrimental to their wellness plan.
Now no one is suggesting that you become a caregiver to a mental health patient, but your love and encouragement can greatly enhance the formal treatment.
If you have a loved one who has been diagnosed with a mental health issue, why not give them a telephone call a couple of times a week to tell them that you love them? Why not bring them a plate of homemade cookies, arrange a lunch date, or an afternoon at the mall or the movies?
Patients with mental illness have low self esteem and require constant supervision, encouragement and loving support. Suicide is an underlying threat. If the individual has hurt your feelings in the past, for heavens sake get over it. It’s a symptom of the illness. With successful long term treatment the symptoms disappear. If you truly want your loved one to succeed, please provide love, support and kindness. We should endeavor to join forces to work toward a mutual goal of wellness to best support those we love.
Arline Meier
Cloverdale
Songs for all
EDITOR: I read with interest Rollie Atkinson’s editorial addressing immigration. I agree that immigration is indeed a food and jobs issue. It is also a community issue. I applaud Senators Feinstein and Harris for introducing the Worker Program Act and encourage everyone to press their elected officials to approve it when it comes up for a vote in Congress.
It is unconscionable that a significant number of our community members are living in fear. How do we show our appreciation for the contributions they make to our community. How can we try to reduce their anxiety? Engagement. I believe engaging with this community will allay some of the fear. It’s as easy as starting a conversation (which I know isn’t necessarily easy).
Here is another opportunity: On June 3 a bilingual concert will be presented at the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center. It is entitled “Songs of the Americas” and features Stephanie Webster, a Mexican-American guitarist, marimbist and singer. Jack Van Geem, a marimba master and former principal percussionist with the San Francisco Symphony will be performing as well.
Vicky Groom
Cloverdale
