The Blue Ribbon of Child Abuse

April is child abuse awareness and prevention month.   This month here in my county, we will be having the Blue Ribbon Ceremony where we release the balloons of every child who has fallen victim to child abuse last year. This is an event we plan that ivolves all of the counties organizations. All will attend and we extend to our public how they can see and report suspected child abuse.  This cause is very near to my heart and I just wish that there would come a day when there would be no need for this event.  All children are a gift. A precious gift God has given us to care for and train up to be wonderful, loving adults. Please take some time to read the story about the Blue Ribbon and then go hug a child and swear you will protect them forever.

Bonnie Finney's story
It had been so long since I sat by my grandson's side in the hospital. Of course, I knew
something was wrong as I sat there, I saw fear on his face, the bruises on his body, and the
healing cigarette burns on his hands. His doctor did not believe my daughter's story… "he
fell in slippery water in the bathtub."

After the ordeal at the hospital my grandson was placed into foster care for three weeks. He
cried when they came to take him back to his mother. I ached for his dilemma, but I was not
physically able to care for him. I never saw him again.

"My 16-month old granddaughter was hospitalized after being beaten severely. Her leg was
broken in four places and her hand was burned from the tip of her little fingers to her wrist.
It was only then that the search was on for my grandson. We learned that he had been
killed, wrapped in a sheet, stuffed in a toolbox, and dumped into the dismal swamp three
months earlier.

My grandchildren had suffered and battled so much throughout their young lives that it
sickened me. My life was turned into physical and mental chaos. My efforts to understand
became a plea to stop abusing children. I tied a Blue Ribbon on my van antenna to make
people wonder. Why blue? I intend never to forget the battered, bruised bodies of my
grandchildren. Blue serves as a constant reminder to me to fight for protection for our
children.

The Green Thing

So I am carousing through the grocery store and I stumble upon that green coated fry pan that was recently an "As seen on TV" item.  I stared at it for a while and started thinking about the last 13 years of my life.  No, really.  Cast Iron pans for 13 years. UG!  The mess, the heaviness, and the scratches to my glass top stove.  Not one day spent in the presence of Teflon   Oh how I have missed anything non-stick!  I decided that since I was a grown woman subject to make rational decisions, I was going to indulge in purchasing this skillet. For experimental purposes of course.

I brought it home.  Its not Teflon, its environmentally friendly, ceramic coated.  I had to fry some sausage last night and decided to test out the new pan. All I can say is it worked liked a charm, fried my food, no fuss, no mess, light as a feather to lift and I wasn't exposed to any dangerous evil toxins!  It was extremely slick though so you have to watch it or your stuff will end up on the floor.  As long as the 5 second rule applies, you'll be ok. For the first time ever in the history of forever of buying something marketed on TV, I give it an A.

So its called the Orgreenic Ceramic Green non-stick Fry Pan. Go get you one.