Thank You! Yes, You! -by Clay Burton

Supporting A Child Early, Builds Better Human Beings. Times have changed when it comes to our kids.
Actually, it's an age-old principle really. Perhaps what old is new again. Not rocket science. Children are our future and what we teach them and leave behind for them is beyond question or doubt, the future that will unfold before the world.
Now with that said, I personally did not have that kind of support growing up as a child. And as a result, I grew up in much emotional self-destruction.
Not intending to contradict this fact by saying that developing emotional self-destruction was not easy. It's not always as simple as we might think that it is considering how fragile children are from ages 1–2 to 12–13.
No, it is not an oxymoron to say that developing low self-worth and esteem requires more unhealthy and problematic exposures.
To mildly state, there can be many negative attributes that lead to harmful identities which increasingly establish non-acceptance, self-loathing, lack of self-respect, and self-love which is far more likely to adopt anti-social behaviors.
These behaviors are surrealistic. To simply stay alive in any way a child can. Until they can't anymore for many.
Can you just imagine how the prison population in our country could be greatly reduced by empowering a child to recognize their God-given talents? The talent that resides in each and every child that only waits for the opportunity to be discovered?
Damaging children takes a lot of different things for which I will not make a long list of the possible emotional/mental/physical/psychological/social atrocities between infancy and adolescence that can determine whether a child acquires consequential behaviors.
But I Have Good News! So today I reject and refuse to continue to be the victim of any abuse at all from another person. I am Free. Free from emotional bondage and free from anyone's negative opinions that do not offer positive support.
You gotta love me as I do myself. AKA Personal Boundaries,
It's Never, Ever Too Late To Be All That You Can Be! As You Were Born To Be!
I know this to be true. Because I left home at the age of 15 to save myself. It wasn't the best way to grow up with no structure, guidance, and education for certain. But l look at me now and what I can do? I didn't finish the 9th grade and I can prove it.
I never went back to school. I don't have any academic degrees. But I do have certificates for working as a health advocate with clients and peers in substance addiction, HIV education, and prevention, related to other mental/emotional//cognitive behavioral problems.
I am very active in community service giving back the grace that was given to me. I am a member and volunteer in my cities Chamber of Commerce and an Alumni of my cities Citizen Police Academy. Woo Hoo! Yes, It's A Dream Come True.
For someone with a history such as mine to now be respected, needed, useful, helpful, included, credible, appreciated, taken seriously, and Trusted?
And You Can Do it Too! All it took was folks to believe in me and show me love until I could believe in and love myself. And then I totally surrendered to the God of my own understanding. And Boy! Was A load off my shoulders that I had placed on myself.
And today I'm having the time of my life and getting all the attention that I was so desperate to have as a kid. It's not immaturely demanding attention, its recognition (good or bad) for doing something interesting. After all, I didn't invite you here! LOL! But you're most welcome to stay and come back!
And speaking of God! How incredibly blessed by only his grace was I delivered from the evils of self-loathing. It was all a lie! All those years. What I was told to believe about myself. But I did not realize that then.
There is a darker force out there. But, perhaps that is another story for another time.
It is clear to me now through decades of social/psychological/behavioral/psychiatric and spiritual healing from understanding, that it was intended for me to endure and survive the chaotic path that was my journey.
I have the serenity in knowing now that for all things there is a reason and purpose.
After all, wisdom comes from experience, and perhaps our worst experiences can become our greatest wisdom.
If you have read thus far, then this brings us to my Thank You post. For What And Who? Why You Of Course!
Since I have been using my Facebook Story feature so many months ago, I am happy to announce that I am now receiving a small but significant following of readers.
And even though I have been publishing creative writing since 9 years ago when first I joined, by utilizing the Story option it has been an even greater way to reach readers.
I do have fun making a lot of story posts, and of course, they all are opinionated despite that many facts are true. I try my best to do accurate research when it is not opinionated.
However, it is not my job to convince anyone to believe that what I say or what professional's with academic degrees say that are true to my readers or anyone else.
Although I have "chosen" many times in my past post to "offer" explanations for why it is that I write my post such as I do and in the way I do?
The main reasons are that I enjoy writing a lot as a hobby.
I can therapeutically express my thoughts as an amateur writer.
I'm good at it.
And most of all, it is simply that "I Can".
Just like the Man that climbed the mountain.
Because it is there.
Now if I were to attempt to place a literary genre to my anthologies, I am not quite certain that I could. The few readers that follow my most may understand why this is so,
They may have noticed that when I write I am all over the place! It can be at times a wild ride whether my story is was intended to be humorous, enlightening, or controversial.
I may start off with a topic, and then suddenly stray off the topic, and then only to conclude with the original topic as if to say, "Now Where Was I?"
However, the folks that have a hard time reading and understanding my post most likely do not think in the way that I do.
But if you find reading my post unnerving or frustrating and then proceed to reply to the post and to me, just to let me know that you didn't read the post because it was so confusing?
Then I just want to understand why you are replying to a post that you did not read and claim that you didn't understand? Especially if it frustrated you.
I guess you just needed to get attention by expressing your feelings on my timeline for all to see. Hey! That's Why I'm Here! Get off My Mountain! LOL!
Expressing yourself Is Wonderful! But this is not a debate stage and if your expression is negative then do it somewhere else. Please?
But that means you don't understand me. Because I could give flying monkeys butt what you think. Unless you love and support me of course!. Even if you didn't like the post I wrote.
These folks I love too and I call friends. Ya know that old saying? If you got nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all
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But other folks that do think like me totally get it and even enjoy reading them. Or they just are curious to see the latest babel. I now get on average around 80 to 100 views a post.
Now that may not be much to you but to me, I feel very pleased and very grateful to have that many folks come to visit.
And most all of them say nothing at all. I would not expect them too. But it is these folks that give me the inspiration, motivation, encouragement, and recognition to keep on writing for others as well as myself.
I imagine that most anyone in the world would love the recognition for something they have created artistically. I mean isn't that the point of creating art? To share with others that it may perhaps enrich their lives.
Oh, I suppose there are those in history who stay at home and created their art and didn't want anyone to see their art. But the arts are filled with an odd bunch of bananas. That's no secret. I can be very hard to get them out of the clouds and put their feet on the ground. Guilty!
But you gotta love who you are, and what you do, to make your art Happy! And Hate who you are, and everything that you do, to sell the most art and make the most money! LOL! Ha!
So A Big, Fat, THANK YOU for allowing me to share what's in my head! (((HUGS!))) Peace!🤩😍