Thanks for a Great Town Hall Forum with Elizabeth Esty on the phone..maybe we can do more on our own too.

Lucky me, I'm listening with great appreciation to the well-spoken, intelligent, caring Congressman Elizabeth Esty of CT. Many people are on the line who got a call and joined in with an option to ask a question in turn. She is like a baseball player ready to call 'batter up' asking for one person after the next to give insights and questions about local and national concerns.

The topics I've heard covered in this second forum I've listened in on are vast--educational loans mounting for thousands of students (and she'd put numbers in the blanks to astound us that the problem is bigger than the caller who owes $90K in debt can imagine).

In terms of how much debt someone is taking on as a student, perhaps more computer programs and real people could llook at the realistic chance of someone being able to pay it back. It's sad to know that some people cannot afford college and are getting a thin chance of borrowing a huge amount to pay for it, but it's critical to be clear about the possiblity of repaying that debt back in a timely manner.

Gun controls were discussed both locally and nationally, which much to be desired. Veterans were recognized as needing more support. I hope to share that there is a Peace Conference on Thursday, June 26th, 2014 in Hartford at Trinity College from 9 to 3pm. The event is called Peace in CT and I hope many leaders can find out more to attend or learn what happens along with citizens of CT and neighboring states.

There is also an event called Ignite through www.healingmin.org (Judith MacNutt, who is a Christian-based healer and from Florida). The conference can be viewed online for $40 or if there's room it's about $200 and held in Cromwell CT in the next few days. Information to share with Elizabeth can be sent to  www.esty.house.gov\contact. Ideally someone in the future could take good notes and put them on the internet. Maybe the calls are on her site, I'll have to check but that'd be helpful as well.

Thanks to all taking on leadership roles in addition to their personal and family and local responsibilities. It all matters.

See some interesting 'big picture' ideas (which can also be thought of as I-dias as in my-days not daze or eye-deas in terms of seeing the world with new eyes and insights) on www.thewordfoundation.org called Thinking and Destiny.

 That's a big eye and soul opener and could be a boon for our times as each person or group tunes into alternative ways to view our human condition, as souls living in human bodies not only being bodies that perish at the end of our mortal life. I read that in the intro and through page 2 which describes Percival's 'brilliant light' experience that made the sun look foggy and opened up his Consciousness of his being.

Something like that. Many practica things are explained and again, maybe someone could try to summarize the main points of the 1000 pages (short in length on the free e-book) of important information.

For now, it's time to take a moment and mark the days of June as summer solstice has come on June 21st, the start of summer..and sadly for our family a reminder of the fifth year of our teen son Kaelan Paton's passing on June 16th, 2009 in the Housatonic River when trying to save a friend who was thankfully rescued by a timely responder who happened to be a tree climber with ropes handy in his truck.

I feel the angels were with Skip and he's on the Memorial video on youtube as is one of Kaelan's teachers, Monica, who gave a special euology which included Kaelan's 8th grade witty essay.

While Kaelan was one to say 'don't let school get in the way of your education', he appreciated all he did learn and the friends he made, saying 'when you have friends you can get through anything'. He put us to the test with his quick exit in such an unexpected manner, but the friendships are strong still and spread online as well as people read of his heroism.

I would like to do some more formal outreaches and welcome others who would like to join me in such efforts. I go to events often and include his wonderful life and legacy along with others I know whose journeyed has taken a heavenly route.

I do what I can too to help many on this life journey that we share whether locally or in wider circles. In many ways, the readers of this blog like the constituents of any leader make the experience meaningful and give direction to the way things go.

Thanks for sharing the blog or your own comments here or as you can in life, online and even with yourself. May it all work together for the greater good. I got to go to a nice luncheon at the Leir Foundation in Ridgefield CT with about two dozen others, including rescue people and grandparents raising their children. One such grandmother had to raise six of her grandchildren only two years after her husband died.

Turns out one of her daughters was the victim of abuse and was not allowed to leave her abuser who took her life. Those children and the others are doing well under this special woman's care..but she's tired and could use help as can so many others

Let's try to be there for one another particularly those with special needs. Some people get help from a church, a social worker, places like Construct in Great Barrington MA which has an array of housing and help options even for homeless people to allow them dignity during transitions.

Every town could have many such efforts. Those being affected need to advocate as described in People Anonymous (about getitng funding for insurance coverage and help to be free from addictions). When I was young and went to Puerto Rico for a week, we ran out of water. A truck distributing the precious liquid came through the streets followed by people wanting to fill jugs and calling out 'Agua, agua!'

That image comes to mind now as I think of the many people needing help and wiling to call out for " HELP, HELP!" We are so busy, we can't hear who needs what or how to get the help to people who need it. "9-1-1-" cannot be used for every kind of emergency people are told to call them for. Ideally we could have teams of workers or volunteers who would be able to respond to many matters with phone support, video chats or other types of interventions.

Everyone at risk for a fall should be able to have some neighbors or caregivers trained to assist them enough to assess if there's really any damage or not, but usually a CNA or Home Health Aid is instructed to call 9-1-1 for insurance reasons, particularly in someone's home. I once saw a woman who seemed okay taken by a stretcher down a spiral staircase and to the hospital, all for nothing really.

Of course if someone is really hurt, then they need to have precautions, but many people go to the ER or call for police when likely someone walking away would alleviate the immediate crisis. With a safe place to stay, many options could be reviewed. Likely ALL WOMEN should seek an online screening early on and often throughout a relationship to try to comprehend if they are in an abusive relationship

They could also be abusive from having grown up in a family full of crisis or from viewing media that makes that seem the way life is at least sometimes. Too often women are clueless and abusers justify their actions and blame their victims as much as the victims do not understand the pattern of control and danger they are living in.

With children, that gets exponentially complicated. IF an abusive man is charged with assault of a victim they may not be allowed to own a gun.

This is a new federal law to help protect future responding officers. No corollary recommendations are made to the people or victims living with the man that he is abusive and therefore dangerous at a statistically higher rate than the public

. Also the idea that he is sometimes nice or lets up can be confusing but that is also basically a modus operandi, a way of being. IF an abuser does not make sense, or someone mentally ill or getting dementia for that matter, then victims or others nearby will often deny the problem, hope it gets better on its own, blows over, does not cause irreparable harm and likely will try to make sense out of the insensible. The reality is the Symptoms must be Accepted as such.

More police can recommend some interventions or at least supports or counseling to victims of abuse and the abusers , but that will take a while and may not really be implemented in consistent ways. See more on www.barrygoldstein.net for troubles in the divorce court arena.

While Barry is a big-hearted genius, more judges and many other 'professionals' who are paid a ton of money often by abusers and their supportive families and co-workers or yes-men are not intersested in best practices to keep people safe and cared for.

Thanks for learning about these challenging issues to help our species evolve sooner rather than later and allow love to mean something like truly caring, supportive and respectful. Likely the next generation of college and younger students will shine the light on these difficult topics that older people found 'too sharmeful or personal or religious' to discuss and seek to change.