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Any Little Thing — Finding Redemption in an Unlikely Place
“Redemption is something you have to fight for in a very personal, down-dirty way.” ― Joss Whedon
In counseling training, when we were studying how to respond to a crisis that involved a potential suicide, we were told to find something — anything, no matter how small, trivial or ridiculous — that would anchor the person to this world. It would be a short-term bandage, just enough to get them through the crisis. Later, you could begin the longer process of helping them rebuild a life they wanted to live, rather than escape from. It made sense to me intellectually, but I wondered if I would ever put it to use.
Ellen came into my office for her weekly visit one Friday afternoon when the weather was just turning toward the better after a long winter. Spring fever was starting to stir and, truth be told, though I loved my job, that afternoon I would have rather played hooky and taken a stroll through the park in the warm hopeful air. Some of my colleagues had done just that, starting their weekend early and leaving the normally bustling area quite quiet.
Ellen and I had been working on her deeply unresolved childhood wounds. We’d made some early progress but were stagnating a bit as she hesitated to delve into her really dark places…
