In Light...

In light of the recent events, tragic events, I don't feel like my posts will have much merit. I can only say that I feel for the families and friends of those lost in the recent shootings. I live one hour away from Portland, Oregon where the "mall" shooting occurred. My family was there just the weekend before. The recent school shooting is just beyond comprehension and I cannot wrap my brain around why ANYONE would want to take innocent lives, especially those of young innocent children. I will never understand it. I believe our mentally ill society is once again "locked behind closed doors" only without treatment they so desperately need. Families are forced to deal with these people the best they can but lack the skills to help them. I have two cousins with mental illness. I know the hardships, and understand how difficult it is. Our society needs to band together to help these people. They are everywhere, on the streets, on the bus, in the shopping malls, in the schools! My experience with mental illness has been that once the person is on medications, they feel better so they stop taking the medications they need. Only to plummet even further into the abyss. We used to have "mental" institutions, so many are being closed and suffering law suits for mistreatment. I do not know the answer, I do not know if our society will ever find one. I am just so sorry those innocent lives were lost. On another note, I managed to finish a cute little "cowl"/"scarf" and it really looks adorable on. I improvised the pattern and made it the way I wanted to. It's currently blocking right now but when it's finished I will have a "modeling" photo! Here is the cast on photo:

this is the finished photo:

I certainly hope that by my next post, we have some answers as to why this tragedy occured and some options to prevent this from happening again. In the mean time, stay safe, enjoy your families and love one another.