Yesterday, I had a profound experience.  The program that I work for is bringing a job readiness workshop called RPE (Recovery Partnership for Employment) to the local VA hospital to help the troops get back to work.  Essentially, we will be working with veterans who are homeless and living in a shelter program.  And, we will be giving them hope. 

When I walked into the shelter, the pain and discouragement of these vets was palpable.  You could feel it intensely in the little common room where we did our presentation.  Many of the men sat with their heads down, displaying their shame that they had a mental illness and had not been able to go back to work after serving our country so valiantly.  A lot of them suffered PTSD from the horrible things that they saw during whatever war they fought.  I was awe struck by their stories, but even more awe struck by their strength.   And I was deeply grateful that I have the great fortune to be able to work with these men and help them get back on their feet. 

So what can you do to support our emotionally wounded troops?  Check out this link for an organization called REmind, which gives wonderful ideas about how to support our soldiers with mental health conditions once they return home. 

Be Well
~ Emily