Back to the Basics.

Everyone who knows me or at least knows something about me, knows I have a thing for helping people. Helping people for FREE.

Well, I stopped volunteering in January of '08. Why? A few things happened. The major thing being deaths amongst some of those I was closest to and helped the most. The deaths of a few residents helped me move on with my life and leave Kingsley Place behind. The other thing that happened was school. I was becoming crazy busy and stressed, giving me little time to rest. The time I did have I wanted to spend at home sleeping. Sleep apnea also contributed to me leaving. I was just constantly exhausted and needed some time. Do I miss it? Sometimes, not always. I drive by it every day on my way to school and back, giving me plenty of time to reminiscence.

So, it's been a while since my last volunteering gig (which happened to be one I created myself as Kingsley Place didn't have volunteers; only employees.). I'm still busy with school (when it's in session), but I miss the feeling of making a difference and helping people out. I decided it was time to return to the one thing I had always loved. I could've returned to the Humane Society as I'm still listed as a volunteer, but that chapter of my life is over in more ways than one. I am no longer friends with most of the people I had formed friendships there with (the only person I keep in contact with is Julie *which is a given*) and after spending three years of my life there it was time to move on. I also could've returned to Kingsley Place, whether it be for a job or just volunteering, but my back and neck aren't what they used to be. Helping elderly up and down, lifting them when needed, and the like aren't things my body can really handle right now.

So, where have I gone? CASA. Say what?! C-A-S-A. Never heard of it? You're not alone. Just about every person I know who I've talked to has asked what it is. If you must know, CASA stands for Child Advocates San Antonio. Their mission is, "The mission of Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA) is to recruit, train, and supervise court-appointed volunteers who provide constancy for abused and neglected children while advocating for services and placement in safe and permanent homes." I, however, won't be working with children. I will be working with teens. Yes, teens. Scary? HELL to the YES. I remember my teenage-hood and it wasn't too fabulous. In fact, if anything, I hated being a teenager. My teenage years were filled with illness, death, and drama. Three things I HATE. This experience will be once in a lifetime. It will test my strength is more ways than one. It will push me to my limits. I've already been warned it will be like swimming in a pool of sharks and having to navigate my way through. This experience will either make or break me. If it breaks me, no more law career path. Ha. If it makes me, I will have a true sense of whether law is something I want to spend my life doing or not. There's only so much you can learn in a classroom.

I'm excited and scared all at the same time, but in the end I have faith it'll all be worth it. I'm not sure where my love for law and all things current events came from, but it definitely exists. This experience should just add to that.

***NOTE: This will be a very classified experience. I figure, due to the amount of information I can actually touch on, it'll be like working for the FBI or CIA. Yes, THAT classified. There's things called privacy laws. If I ever talk, names and info will be excluded and/or changed. Also, no one, not even my family will ever meet or see pictures of the teen I get assigned to. It will be VERY different from the Humane Society as I could blab all I wanted and post pictures, but it will be similar to Kingsley Place (they have HIPAA in place). I have a therapist, so he'll probably be the one I blab things to that I need to get off my chest. So, there you have it. On August 7th, I will be an official CASA volunteer.***