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JerriFaye "Chenault" Thomason
6th Grade
SHRINERS HOSPITAL
Well, as I
have said earlier this is my website and I am JerriFaye Thomason. I
don’t know whether I want to do this page or not. Not because of
shame. It’s just that this page reveals apart of me that is not the
topic of discussion in my world. I am who I am. Growing up with
cerebral palsy is just a fact of life. I’m sure that most of you
have heard of Shriners Hospitals. I was lucky enough to have been a
Shriners’ kid. They do wonderful work for the children they help. I
have many wonderful and happy memories of my stays in the hospital.
I always came out better than I went in. Not just physically but
also mentally.
So, now
you’re wondering why I’m doing this. The answer is simple. As
children at the Shriners Hospital we were all “Normal” even though
we were all different. I was at the Shriners Hospital in Lexington,
Kentucky during the mid to late 1960’s. I would love to hear from
some of the friends I made during these stays. So please, if you or
some one you know was a Shriners’ kid. Send in your name (also the
name you had then), years that you were in and the city and state of
your hospital. If you would like to send a picture of you at that
time, I will do my best to insert them...
Ok, I guess I go first. I hope this works. It
would be nice finding old friends.
JerriFaye “Chenault”
Thomason
Mid to late 1960’s
Lexington, KY
NOTE:
To all of you Shriners out there, "Thank You for
Everything. My life wouldn't be what it is today without
you. You are wonderful people. Please know that you are
appreciated and that you made a difference in many, many
lives. Knowing this, you have to know that you can never be
forgotten. So again, Thank You..."
Please feel free to leave a message on my
blog.
(Please no adds on this blog. It is strictly a tool to
help find our lost friends. Thank you for
understanding.)
This is a poem I never intended to write.
I was truly trying to write about school shootings. Some how,
this poem took a left turn. It is the only poem that
represents my youth.
From The Inside
Looking Back
From the inside
looking back,
Hearing news of more attacks,
Seeing pictures of
children dead,
Seeing blood that's so deep red,
News reels
catch the ending scenes,
Chaos flowing into the
streets,
Children running from fear inside,
Seeking refuge as
tears slide.
From the inside
looking back,
Understanding some attacks,
Memories flit before
my eyes,
My ears hear my distant cries,
The hurt still lingers
as I hear,
Taunts from my friendless peers,
"X's" marked their
hands and arms,
"Shields" from me ~ Was their
charm,
Everyday they marked their skin,
Everyday I hated
them,
Called nick-names with a laugh,
I hated school for all
of that,
After years of this abuse,
Fighting back I wouldn't
loose.
From the inside
looking back,
I dreamed and planed my attacks,
My mind could
picture vivid scenes,
Sometimes murder was the scheme,
I just
wanted to fit in,
So, I dreamed of killing him,
Just one
boy ~ I would kill,
So, the taunts would finally
still,
He was a bully in every way,
He started everything
everyday,
If I could make him disappear,
Maybe my world could
find cheer,
If he no longer came to school,
The other kids
wouldn't be so cruel.
From the
inside looking back,
I never enacted my planed
attacks,
Violence wasn't accepted back then,
As it
is now, in this world we live in,
Mayhem and murder went
left undone,
So, these parents still have a son,
I
understand the pain of a child,
Hurt turns to desperation
after a while,
The boy is lucky and so am I,
He
because, he didn't die,
I because, he made me
strong,
Heaven knows ~ He was wrong.
From the
inside looking back,
Know there are children under
attack,
Know there are children that will wind up
dead,
Laying in their own blood that's sticky and
red,
School cameras now will capture these
scenes,
But chaos will still enter their
dreams,
This is what happens when evil
resides,
When Good meets Evil ~ And Worlds
Collide.
Note:
The "Sticks
& Stones" theory does not work when the teachers refuse to see
and hear the taunts. Even the best teachers seem oblivious to
the child being mistreated. It's like they believe if they
ignore it ~ it will all go away. That just seems to fuel
this problem. People/Teachers need to see and
react. A bully and his cohorts should have their lives
become hellish. Maybe, the "walk a mile in my shoes"
theory would serve a more justified purpose. A child
being bullied needs help and ignoring this problem is just plain
cruel.
Thanks,
~Me~
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