This has not been the summer I envisioned back in January. Both knees have done very well but other challenges have come along to set me back both physically and emotionally. The worst of these has been the extreme heat that has blanketed the area far sooner than usual, combined with having somehow sprained my ankle. I say "somehow" because I don't know how it happened other than the day before it started getting really sore, I was doing leg exercises while sitting in my recliner, including ankle circles. Maybe I did too many? The last time I sprained my ankle was in much the same way, but was the other one. It was also from over-exercising my foot from a sit-down position. To say my ankles have always been weak is an understatement.
This summer I had hoped to be out doing more and going more places. I'd even hoped that somehow I might get a car so I would not have to depend on someone else to take me all the places I want to go. But between the heat, and the ankle, this summer has been much the same as previous years and I have been stuck at home. Thankfully I did get out more this spring than I did last year, and I hope to be out again soon now that my ankle is feeling better. Saying I have been very disappointed this summer is putting it mildly.
Among the other challenges so far this summer has been the closing of an online chat room where I spent much of my time the past year (almost) and where I met some wonderful people who have become close friends. In response to that chat room being closed down, several of us got together to build a new website with a new chat room so we could stay together and continue to do the things we were doing to help others. You see, that chat room was not just another place online for people to get together. It was a place to help people heal from having been scammed by the Nigerian-type romance scammers that have been attacking most, if not all, the online dating and social network websites. This type of scam is very difficult to understand, especially the aftermath. The people who are damaged by it are left to fend alone because friends and family who have not been through it, have a difficult time understanding it to begin with. This chat room was a place where romance scam victims came together, healed, and many stayed together to reach out to others who came along. The past three weeks have been busy weeks as those of us who stuck together worked to create a new home for this wonderful healing ministry. Yes I call it a ministry because to me that is exactly what it is. Others may call it a mission, and others may just call it home. Yesterday was our official grand opening and it was a great success as we were able to welcome home many who had felt lost and left behind when the other chat room closed. As word gets out I am sure more will come home and together we will once again be there to help new victims of Nigerian Romance Scams to find peace with what has happened to them.
If you have been a victim of these scams, or know of someone who has, or may be involved in a romance scam right now, please visit the new chat room website at Scams Of The Heart for help and support.
