Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com February 21, 2018 Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com /DesertMessengerNews Follow on Twitter @DesertMessenger @QuartzsiteRain LETTERS TO EDITOR POLICY Desert Messenger encourages letters from its readers. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, and may be edited for grammar, content and length. OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE DESERT MESSENGER. We invite you to not only see a problem, but search for the solution to share with the community, keeping the benefit of all in mind. Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published. Third party letters will not be accepted. To avoid confusion over people with common or similar names, writers must provide a full name and indicate the name they are known by. Writers must provide a full street address and phone number. Rvers can provide the location of park/BLM land, etc. Street addresses will not be pub- lished. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Mail letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 Once again our world was trauma- tized by another school shooting. Yes, we all have been traumatized by this sad news. In this world of instant news and seeing the stories over and over in our social media feeds, we all have been affected. Facebook, Twitter, 24 hour news sources will continue to feed us more trauma about the horrifi c tragedy in Parkland, Flor- ida. And you don't need to be di- rectly involved in a tragedy to feel its effects. This is a type of trauma, and though experts disagree on its severity, it can be damaging to our psyche. Trauma can affect us more than we might realize. Trauma is a word whose origins come from the late 17th century Greek, meaning literally to "wound." According to "The complete guide to crisis & Trauma counseling," N.H. Wright (2011), about 25% of individuals exposed to traumatic events, are unable to cope with the effects of trauma, and will go on to develop the anxiety disorder known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.) So how do we deal with our feelings around these recent events and future traumas? Well, after 9/11, a nationwide sur- vey of stress reactions found that in 90% of individuals, the second most common coping strategy was prayer, religion, or spiritual prac- tice; the foremost coping strategy (98% of individuals) was talking to someone (Schuster et al., 2001). Jung (1933) stated that of all his patients over the age of 35, who did not develop a spiritual orientation to life, were never healed. When we have a strong sense of our own spirituality and a positive attitude, we can fi nd a way to make sense of the senseless, fi nd hope in the hopeless, and strength in their weakness; fi nding peace in the midst of the storm, and shelter from the harsh, bitter winds of trauma. Living in the world today is not easy, but when we take the time to heal our wounds, we can be totally DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 O� T��� - E���� T���! Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 P�������� ����� � ����� 1st & 3rd Wednesday Sept. thru May with Special Summer Editions June, July & August EDITOR/PUBLISHER Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING JOURNALIST Joanne Winer GUEST COLUMNIST Gypsy Jane Finley CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE LETTERING Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.MyQuartzsite.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2018 © Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear Editorial "Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion." ~ Buddha DEADLINE : WED. FEB. 28 for the march 7 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com present to help others. If you've been keeping up with me, you know that I focus on how to turn tragedy into something positive. Now we get to witness student sur- vivors of the shootings speak up and try to make a change in the world. Some of us may disagree with their message or even how they chose to deliver their message, but they are dealing with their trauma through actions that work for them. They are providing hope – in times of de- spair – that it is not only possible to merely survive, but to thrive and triumph in life. Nelson Mandela was a perfect example of someone who was able to do this. He turned his suffering into hope. His attitude was one of optimism, even in the face of extreme adversity. "The key is to fi nd value, meaning and purpose out of our suffering, symptoms and in life" Jodie Gale Gale states, To fi nd value, meaning and purpose out of life's diffi culties and to turn tragedy into a triumph, we are required to become present to life and to reach some level of ac- ceptance of 'what is'. It's all about our perception. Let's be grateful for the small things in life. An attitude of gratitude will do wonders in helping us get to that place of hope again. What we do in times of diffi culty can be our great- est success. For the experience we create is a declaration of who we are and who we intend to be.

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