TIP

Things have been crazy for me lately, mostly with my involvement with TIP. We have been slammed with calls lately. In one week, there have been 3 suicides. It is almost surreal, driving on a clear, sunny, crisp autumn day through a beautiful and manicured town, to respond to victims and clients of such a horrid event. It's like chaos and disarray in such a beautiful place should be forbidden or something. It's an odd feeling. Makes you wonder if money really DOES buy happiness... There have been quite a few car crashes and accidents too, and lots of calls on weekend nights. All in the news, all of them tragic. It's that time of year, as the TIP family likes to say. And it's true. Maybe it's the darkness and the rain that comes with fall. Maybe it's the financial crunch, knowing the holidays are just around the corner. I don't know, but we get slammed like this in the fall and going into winter.

I am sure most of you heard about the house slide in SW Portland, as it was all over the news. At 5:40 AM, the house slipped off the cliff and slid 300 feet down the hill (city officials say it is about a 45-degree angle, so it was like slow motion for the families watching), hitting a house on the street below and "bumping" it off its foundation. It affected 7 homes total. This was about a mile from my house. TIP was there with the families, and Red Cross showed up and apparently helped in a tremendous way. Some of these families lost everything. I found some non-intrusive photos in a public gallery that a photographer from the Oregonian took. You can view them here.

That evening, I had a suicide call and fought traffic around the Terwilliger detour to get over there. That was a "TIP" day for sure, as I was pretty alert in case I got called for the house call, and then getting sent on a different call at the end of the day. I wasn't even on call that day, but it worked out that I was close to the call, so I went.

The next day, I represented TIP at the Volunteer Fair at Washougal High School. Megan went with me and we talked to tons of high schoolers about TIP and what we do. We got about 4 or 5 teens REALLY interested in the TipTeen program and wanted to come to the upcoming training beginning next month (PLUG!!), and one kid even tried to sign up right then and there that day on a school computer! It was just great to see open-minded kids, looking for ways to volunteer and give back to their community. We got about 30 information cards filled out, handed out brochures, business cards, resource guides, and goodies. I realized that I LOVE talking about TIP to people. I am going to try to do more speaking events, fairs, etc. to try to get the word out there and because I just really like sharing my passion for TIP with others. I hope that I get more opportunities in the future.

And today I am on call, and just went to a call. Tragic and sad. Reputable man of the community. Lovely house and even lovelier family. I felt so helpless on that one. I had that surreal feeling as I was driving out of their gorgeous neighborhood again. Such a beautiful Sunday that should be spent in God's beauty on the Sabbath, spent hiking, at a park, playing with your dog, going for a walk. And this family is inside grieving a very harsh and unexpected death. 

So TIP has been very present in my life lately! 

ALSO: My first week of dispatching last week went WELL! My very first call that came through the pager was dubbed a "bad" page, and I had no idea it was distorted or bad. I could still make out the address.... or so I thought. So I sent her on her way, wanting to hurry as fast as I could as it was my first run through. I sent the volunteer to the wrong house number (the number on the pager was wrong), and she got lost. She was so great and so patient with me, and I learned to always verify the address with the communication centers on the phone!! It went fairly smooth with a few bumps in the road, but I really enjoyed it and am glad I am taking on another role within TIP. My next week of dispatching begins November 3rd.

So... I dispatched my first week last week, and then this week have been slammed with events and calls. Pretty much 2 weeks straight of TIP, and I would not trade it for the world. I would do this as a full-time job, if I could. It reminds me that there is always need in this world. Specifically, in my community. And it reminds me that I am equipped to fill that need and reach out to these people. Thank God that He has given me the time in my life to be able to do these things and be these things for people. He has led me here. I wish I could do this forever without ever worrying about being paid to do it or not. But that is not the case, so I press on, job searching. In the meantime, and as Nathan says, I am totally fine being a bench-warmer, and I actually embrace that role because of what it's doing to enrich my life, my "team" and the lives of all those I connect with, my "teammates."