Friends,

Recently, my office assistant got a call from her three year old daughter.  "Mommy, I did get it," the excited little voice said, "I did tie my shoe."  Kelli, her mom, rejoiced with her daughter over this great accomplishment.  This was such an empowering moment for that little girl.  She felt so good about herself.

We see that a lot around A.B.L.E. Families.  Just last week an eighty year old woman, "did get it."  She learned how to turn on the computer and open a document and to even print labels with her name on them.  She, too, had an empowering moment. 

Then there was the five year old boy who rushed into my office after his first day of swim class announcing that he could put his head under water and make his body float, and he could almost swim.  He "did get it."  He was also empowered.

Recently, we got a thank you note from one of our young mothers who had her older child taken away from her, but who was trying this time to be a good mother to her new baby.  She wrote:  "You all have helped me so much.  I love all the activities that we have had this year.  I know I am a better mother than I have ever been."  This young mother "did get it" this time.  She has been empowered to be a better mom.

Our VISTA with the Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker program (MIHOW) has been trained in infant massage and was asked recently to give a workshop on this topic at the MIHOW National Conference in Indiana.  She "did get it."  "It made me feel so good to be able to do this," she told me.  The positive feedback she got from her workshop participants empowered her.

Well, that is what A.B.L.E. Families is about these days:  empowering one person at a time -- from the little boys of five to spry women of eighty.  It is part of our mission and part of the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Wheeling.  We are grateful to be a sponsored ministry.

Sister Janet Peterworth, OSU