Yes, you can be brainwashed into believing in yourself and thinking you can achieve anything … until you walk into a staff meeting at work on a seemingly regular Tuesday … and … you get fired. Yep. After 21 years of dedicated service, you get handed your walking papers. No notice. No cause.
And, for just a split second, because you cannot even fathom how this could be happening to you … you question your belief in yourself. You wonder if you would have been better off to have stifled your soul and silenced your spirit in order to save your job. But, you realize, even more quickly … that you could never have lived with yourself if you had not stood up for what you believe in. And, you remind yourself that if you had it all to do over, you wouldn’t change one darn thing, except of course … the outcome.
But, worst of all, your heart aches deeply, for all of your prior counselling clients. It is the beautiful souls you have been gifted to work with that are paying the biggest price in all of this! And you wish you could reassure them that you would never, ever in a million years, have chosen to abandon them in this way.
And you ache for any pain they might be feeling. You know that you get to move on by simply expanding your private practice and embracing all the possibilities that come with that liberty. And for you, it feels very exciting. But you know very well that this is not just about you.
And, you wake up in the night wishing you could reach out to each and every one of your people because you have been connected in the most meaningful ways. Because you know them and respect them at the deepest level. Because they trusted you. Because you knew they felt really safe with you ………. well, until now.
But you can’t instigate contact with any of these precious souls to help them make sense of any of this. You were not permitted to speak to them on your last day of work as you were escorted out of the building and for ethical reasons regarding ‘solicitation of business’ in your Standards of Practice as a social worker, you can’t initiate any personal communication with them now. And so, the silencing sucks … but you deeply respect and honor the integrities of your profession.
And so … you pray that they will know you still hold them with deepest regard. You pray that they will trust your character enough to recognize that things are not always the way the seem. And, you hope they will sense your heartfelt regret and the powerlessness you feel to honor and alleviate any of the ways they may be feeling unsupported in these moments.
And, you send compassion and courage through the ethers to each and every one of them … trusting that they will powerfully find their way through this unexpected blindside. And … you hope they feel your abiding commitment, despite your unforeseen absence in their circle of support.
And, although you are at the age where you could simply ‘retire’ right now, that option does not appeal to you because counselling is your passion … because supporting others is what your heart longs to do.
And you know that you will rise above the outrage of the circumstances … because, yes … you’ve brainwashed yourself into believing in yourself and thinking you can achieve anything.
And … you want to take this opportunity to remind your clientele – past, present and future – that they can do the same. Yes. Yes, they can.
❤ Karen ❤
Dec 15, 2018 @ 08:08:33
Thank you for your honesty and for speaking with courage and hope. Integrity, strength, and wisdom are all attributes that I admire about you, and the service that you have given to others has always been professional, compassionate, and selfless. This will continue, wherever your path leads you. I have no doubt that people of courage and integrity will ask questions to those who made this decision. Unethical practices needs to have a light shone upon them; this is the only way to eliminate the darkness that can occur when there is silence. I love Martin Luther King’s words, “”Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” Let the light shine!
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Dec 15, 2018 @ 08:16:44
Thank you Susan … for shining your beautiful light in my direction. I so deeply appreciate your support. 🧡
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Dec 15, 2018 @ 08:46:26
Karen, your Beautiful Heart with its Compassion and Love for others is Shining So Incredibly Bright in these words! Yes!! Believe in yourself!! I Believe in you!! Keep shining!!
Love you my Dear friend!!
Deb 🤗
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Dec 15, 2018 @ 09:22:17
Ahhh … you’ve made my eyes leak my beautiful friend. Thank you for adding some kindling to my internal flame. Loving you always .. ❤
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Dec 15, 2018 @ 20:22:05
Hi Karen I keep reading and rereading this letter you have so perfectly written. I feel your heartache 100%. I sure hope you are ok…..and that this letter gets some results that you deserve. Love you my friend. Hope we can get together sometime soon. I need to see you in person ❤️ Hugs, Robin
Sent from my iPhone
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Dec 16, 2018 @ 10:31:08
Robin … been feeling a rollercoaster of emotions over the past four days. I trust there are blessings tucked into this that are not visible yet! I can hardly wait to see what they are. Your care and concern and support are so very meaningful in these moments! Thank YOU!! 💗
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Dec 17, 2018 @ 22:17:42
Thank you so very much for getting this letter out there Karen, it helps to explain in the best way you could why you personally did not contact your clients. There was no abandonment, or lies. I’m now a bit ashamed at the immediate hurt I felt, when I now see you have been hurt. Deeply. I cannot imagine anything that can justify getting rid of someone who is so deeply committed to her clients and gives so much to help them grow as people and learn to love themselves. You are one the very finest people I know and have only grown and learned from you throughout the years; to trust, not only others, but myself and to continue to grow in ways I would have never imagine at one time. You truly inspire others to be their best! I know this, because of all you’ve done for me. Thank you so very much…I truly believe in my heart you have been very wronged, and it hurts my heart to know this. Stay strong and who you are as you truly are a gift in this world. The gifts you have given me over the years are so very many. I can never thank you enough. My heart truly hurts for you right now, yes, believe in you as you’ve taught us! I believe in you ❤️
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Dec 19, 2018 @ 10:35:44
Ahhhhh … thank you so much for reaching out and sharing your experience of all of this Lori! And, your generous affirmation touches me deeply … and … helps to quiet my anxious mind about what people are making this mean in the absence of my ability to speak up on my own behalf. Sending much love and light in your direction! With warmest appreciation for your comments here … ❤
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