ISO: Gently Used Dr. Seuss Books

     The title of this blurb should be, "My Life as a Mobile Therapist," but since it's doubling as a plea for donations, I needed it to have more visibility and share-ability; maybe even copy and paste-ability.

     I am looking for donations of gently used Dr. Seuss books to develop a reward system for my Mobile Therapy clients. I came across an insanely fun box of 255 Dr. Seuss stickers, all organized by book, and I came up with the following idea:

     For every day a child earns 80% of his daily reward points for goals in areas such as emotional regulation, compliance, and sometimes chores or hygiene, the child will earn a sticker which will be affixed to a bookmark made out of foam paper, with a little yarn tassel at the top. When the child fills the bookmark with 10 to 14 stickers, I will gift them the book connected to the bookmark. So when the Green Eggs and Ham sticker collection bookmark is filled due to good behavior, the client will be rewarded with the book, Green Eggs and Ham. The bonus reward is the child and I get to spend time reading together. I then encourage the parents to let their child read it to them, or even read it to their child throughout the week.

So.... here are the titles I need:

One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Yertle the Turtle
The Cat in the Hat
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Green Eggs and Ham
Fox in Socks
The Lorax
I had trouble in getting to Solla Sallew
Horton Hears a Who
The Sneetches and Other Stories

     If I am truly going to be transparent with you; if I am truly going to be The Naked Turtle, I have to admit to all of you: friends, family, readers, and acquaintances, that I am fighting a spiritual battle inside my soul right now. Every runner is all too familiar with "The Wall." Just before a runner comes to the last leg of the race, it is as if the body shuts down and says, "Nope." Many runners gauge their success on how they handle that wall and finish their race.
   
     My wall is Fear, and I am fully aware of all facets of this monster in my life. I am sooooo close to getting my manuscript off to my agent to shop around for publishers, and suddenly, the fear in me speaks. "How are you going to handle your story being out there, Danielle? Judgment and rejection are your greatest enemies, and your gonna toss yourself out there like a piece of meat for crows to shred with their beaks and talons?"

     Yesterday, I had a 4 hour session with a 14 year old client. All of her life she has been diagnosed as having Autism. I don't see one lick of Autism; I see Complex Trauma. At six months old, my client's mother decided she just couldn't handle a baby, so she handed my client over to the care of her grandmother whom she now calls, "Mom."  The child is riddled with attachment issues. She will allow you to get so close, and then she will lash out at you to make sure you don't get too close because she doesn't know how to receive love. We had a full out war. She is a typical teenager who can't see how stressing over things she can't control is not helping her. Holding on to and attaching to inanimate objects that lead to hoarding behaviors is not helping her. Shifting her piles of cosmic debris around the room, instead of collecting it and throwing it, or giving it. away, will not get her room clean. In the end, she wanted me to leave and she refused to sign her paperwork. Ya know what? Fine. I had better things to do on a Saturday than  be challenged and bossed around by a 14 year old. As we were closing the session, I was attempting to restore, and then she suddenly asked, "Miss Danielle, what kind of dog do you have?" I replied, "A Cocker Spaniel. He's 14 years old." The client responded, "I'm sorry Miss Danielle, for everything. I like to be in control of my... stuff."

Kid, don't I know it.

     I taught her the Native American practice of asking your Higher Self if you truly need something in life.You hold the object to your heart and close your eyes. If you fall forward, you were meant to have it. If you fall backwards, it is not meant to be. I can accept a "no" from my Higher Self much more gracefully than I respond to my carnal self. We returned to session and were laughing and singing to the radio by the end of it. My client had successfully begun to fill three boxes of clothes, toys, and books she was finally willing to give away.

     I drove home the ten miles which takes thirty minutes home. I was emotionally and psychologically spent. Because I take Thrive, my physical body wanted to go, go, go, but unfortunately, writing or documentation, (the things I should have been doing,) required mental clarity which was greatly diminished by the emotional and psychological wallop of my day.

     Last night, I desperately wanted to post, "If this were not a Calling..." But I don't want to seem ungrateful. God took the ugliness of my life and turned it into something beautiful.  Isaiah 61:3-4 declares, "To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning,  festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks    that the Lord has planted for his own glory. "

     Even mighty oaks must withstand their seasons.

     So am I ready to throw myself out there like a piece of meat? I guess I am, but I would like to think of it as an offering, just as Christ offered His life for us. Am I crying all the way? Pretty much. But again, my carnal self kicks against the pricks when His Spirit is doing Its greatest work in me.

     How cool is my job? I get to help people change their lives, AND play with Dr. Seuss stickers! As I continue to find things for which to praise Him, the wall of fear is coming down. I know what I must do.

Oh, and if by chance you do have some Dr. Seuss books from the above list of titles to donate, please contact me at my email: drms.mhc@gmail.com or send me a message or post on Facebook.