Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Making it Stop


I am so blessed to have a team of preachers in my parish.  This team allows me to be fed by their perspectives on scripture and their witness to the Gospel.  In my diocese we have licensed lay preachers.  These are people who are not called into ordained ministry, but have been blessed with the gifts needed to preach the Good News.

I have never been so moved to share someone else's sermon, but after last weeks middle school shooting here in Sparks, Nevada, I have received permission to share these words with the world.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

A Star and Highlights... Nothing New to Me


In the State of Nevada’s August/September newsletter for the Division of Child and Family Services, they have a section called “Highlights”. This section highlights the “Stars”of each division of Child and Family Services covering the entire State of Nevada.
My wife Tricia is a Highlight of Children’s Mental Health in the state.  
I am very excited for her gifts, talents, and hard work to be recognized.  She does not do what she does for the recognition, but like it is for most “helping professionals” it brings positive energy to know what you pour your heart and soul into makes a difference.
Here is what the head of Children’s Mental Health in the State of Nevada had to say about Tricia.

Children’s Mental Health would like to recognize Tricia Woodliff, CPC, Mental Health Counselor II with NNCAS-Early Childhood Mental Health Services. Tricia has taken a leadership role in educating the community about trauma, abuse and attachment, particularly as it relates to infants and toddlers. In addition to providing therapy with a focus on children from birth-four years old, Tricia is actively involved as a trainer with the Trauma Informed Care Project, where she has participated in trainings with NNCAS staff, foster parents and treatment home providers. Additionally, Tricia is a TACSEI trainer who provides trainings and child observations on a routine basis with a variety of child care centers in the Reno-Sparks area through the Child Care Development Fund grant, and she is also a PCIT trainer and a member of Northern Nevada’s DC:0-3R team of trainers! Earlier this year, Tricia was invited to make a presentation at the Nevada Family Jurisdiction Judges 2013 Annual conference in Ely Nevada, where she spoke about “Making Informed Decisions in the Interest of Traumatized Children,” providing judges from all across Nevada with valuable information on the impact of trauma on children and youth. Most recently, Tricia has taken the lead on a collaborative pilot project with Nevada Early Intervention Services, which will allow for stronger social- emotional assessments of infants and toddlers referred to NEIS due to CAPTA requirements, and fast-track them in to mental health services when appropriate. Clearly, Tricia’s love of infant/toddler mental health, and her passion for teaching has been of tremendous benefit to the clients at NNAS, as well as the broader community.

I’m proud of her and I love her...She is my Highlight too...

Friday, August 2, 2013

Baseballs and Whiskey Bottles... Priceless


One of the things that I did while on vacation last month was to clean out my remaining “stuff” from my parent’s house. I have not lived in my parent’s house since the spring of 1995, so any of my possessions that remained there could not have been all that important...right?

Friday, May 31, 2013

Fun in the Sun or Summer Time Blues?


Fun in the Sun or Summer Time Blues? 

 
My parents have a small cabin that sits in the woods about 100 yards or so off the water at Lake Tenkiller in Oklahoma.  We just call it “The Lake”. 

     When I was a kid I spent most every weekend at the lake.  At the water’s edge we had a covered dock, off of which I learned to swim, to fish, to row a boat, and how to use a  J stroke in a canoe.  It was at the lake where I learned to water ski, wake board, and drive a boat.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Shatter Free for You and Me

A while back I learned something from a “smart phone”, and I didn’t even need to use it to GOOGLE something…for this learning, no internet was required.