Silence Hides Violence

"It takes a village" is more than a campaign slogan for the latest social awareness outreach program.  It is a constant that needs to always be in the forefront guiding our actions in daily living.  Unfortunately I have recently been made acutely aware of this reality as a victim of domestic violence.

This past week my 86-year-old mother was threatened and abused by another family member.  She is not the only family member to have been targeted for later reprisal and abuse.  This recent event is not an aberrant, isolated behavior of the perpetrator.  There has been a long history of violence spanning several decades.  

The family's silence has been miss-understood by the abusing member as acceptance.  The real reasons for the family's silence has been not solely from fear of the abusive family member, but also out of a sense of love, patience, hope, guilt, and embarrassment.  Surely the aberrant will chart a new course of civility.   

Our decades of inaction found us on Thursday in the Office for Domestic Violence, staring at a wall sign that reads; "Silence Hides Violence".

It is true!

Welcome to the Moon

What does a retired teacher do to ward-off the effects of the "black dog" of depression on a rainy, Fall day?  The answer is easy, if not a bit unconventional; you head to Moon Marble Company in Bonner Springs, Kansas.  Thank goodness for us, the drive from our house takes only a mere forty minutes.

Upon entering the cement-block building, you are met with, "Welcome to the moon!  Where are you from?"  Moon Marble Company is a maze of bins comprised of marbles of every size and color.  Shelves stocked with games and other stuff that kids of all ages (3-99), have either wanted or are in desperate need of having. While you graze wide-eyed at the amazing surroundings, you will feel the building randomly shudder, and hear the rumbling of trains pulling coal cars directly behind the business.

After spending a couple of hours, we grew famished and left in search of a nearby lunch place.  The employees encouraged us to return after our lunch to watch the Heritage Duncan Yo-Yo National winners give an exhibition.  So after our lunch at Madam Hatter's Tea Room, we returned to watch the Yo-Yo champs.  However, the Moon Marble Company gave a demonstration on marble making before they performed.  It was great fun to watch the transformation of glass rods becoming a marble.

The Heritage Duncan Yo-Yo National winners were equally enjoyable to watch their tricks of finesse and listen to their rap.  They were on a ten week tour of the USA.  In two weeks they will end their tour in New York City.  One of the champs was a tops expert.  He could take a spinning top from the floor and have it climb up his string.  Wa-la, magic!  Afterwards, the tops expert indicated that he was a civil engineer when not playing with his tops.

Hello, welcome to the moon!
http://www.moonmarble.com/