My Husband "Subvet" says that when our first son "Sonshine" was born the sun rose on our world, when our second son "Gator" was born the sun laughed and when our daughter "Sugars" was born all the flowers bloomed. That says it all.

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
It's about learning how to dance in the rain."
Anonymous

Your mind is the garden, your
thoughts are the seeds, the harvest can either be flowers or weeds. — William
Wordsworth

Friday, February 8, 2008

A Friend in Need

So, a show of hands please, who knows Linda of Are We There Yet?

She's written in her blog about how she's down lately so I emailed her to see if there was anything I could do to help. She sent me this link.

Once I read it and cried my eyes out for my friend so far away I copied and pasted the entire post here. All the links go back to Ms Maggie Moo's blog where you can find the button to donate and help this mother fight for her child.

Linda, I love you dearly and am praying fervently for your victory in this fight for your dear daughter. You're a wonderful mom. God Bless, Sarah.



Home
***AFTER READING THIS POST, PLEASE CONSIDER COPYING IT AND POSTING IT ON YOUR BLOG-THE MORE EXPOSURE THIS GETS, THE BETTER***

She tries to sleep, but she can’t-the noises coming from the only bedroom in the trailer are too loud, too embarrassing. Rolling over she faces the wall and hopes that her father will finish what he’s doing and that her step-mother won’t make any more noise.





She’s living every teenage girl’s nightmare.

It’s bad enough that she was torn from her friends in Kentucky-but living here, in this cramped, dirty trailer with no privacy and no indoor shower is the icing on the cake. Fitting in at school was out of the question-her father made sure of that by not allowing her to socialize outside of class & eventually, she woke up one morning knowing that she would no longer walk the halls of freedom, but instead would be taught in the very trailer she slept in.

It’s probably for the best, she thinks-if anyone ever found out that they make me wear hand me down underwear I’d be the laughing stock of the state anyway…


She wishes she could move home-to her real home-with her mother and sister in Connecticut. There she would be nurtured and cared for, and allowed to be a teenager…allowed to have opinions and ideas and to cut her hair the way she likes it.


But she knows she can’t. He’s making sure of that too…




Jamie wants to come home.




Many of you know Linda from Are We There Yet? And perhaps you know that she has two daughters, Amanda and Jamie. Amanda lives with Linda here in CT and Jamie lives in Florida with her father and his wife.


Life for Jamie is not going well.


Jamie is living a lonely life in a cramped, dirty trailer with guardians who won’t allow her to be an individual. She is not allowed to have friends. She can’t choose her own music or movies and she can’t even cut her hair. She has to shower in a common area of a camp ground because her “home” doesn’t have a shower.




She is homeschooled by her stepmother-a woman who is not qualified to take on such a task and Jamie is, for sure, behind other kids her age academically. No doubt, she will also fall behind socially as well.

Though Jamie has expressed to her father that she wants to move to Connecticut to live with her mother, he will not allow it. His reasoning is that Linda is not a good mother.

His reasoning is bull shit.

When Jamie visits, it is easy to see that she flourishes. Her smile is bright and it’s clear that being allowed to smile and laugh and to be a little quirky is the reason. Anyone who reads Linda’s blog knows that she is a caring and attentive mother who strives to give both of her children what they deserve.

The man that Jamie and Amanda call Dad is not a good man. He remarried and is completely wrapped up in his new marriage and does not care what happens to Jamie. If he believes that Linda is a bad mother because Amanda has blue hair, then I wonder what he would say if she were to cast her daughter out of her life simply because she was a little different…

Of course, Linda would never do that-but he did. Amanda lived with her father at one time, and was sent back to live with Linda because she didn’t “fit in” to the family he wanted to create. He no longer speaks to her. Now tell me, how can a man who disowns one daughter ever be a better parent than one who loves unconditionally?

He can’t.

And that’s why Jamie needs to come home.

Being a single mother who makes “too much money” (read: she makes over the poverty level) Linda does not qualify for financial assistance for legal aid, and therefore is having trouble getting a lawyer’s attention. In CT, courts consider a custody award as subject to change until the child involved grows up, and in most states proof of a "change in circumstances" may overturn an earlier award. This flexibility is intended to allow for the correction of poor or outdated decisions.


Jamie has vocalized to both parents that she wishes to move. Her dad has vocalized that it will never happen. Linda made a promise to Jamie that she would do anything in her power to get here home.

But she needs our help.

On my sidebar I have posted a magic button-this magic button allows you to donate to the Get Jamie Home Legal Fund. The faster you click, the faster you will help change the life of one little girl who very much needs a new life.

Please help. We’ve seen in the past that every penny helps…even if you can only donate $5, please consider doing it.







Jamie needs to come home.

11 comments:

BumbleVee said...

Well, unless there is a sure fire way to verify any of it... I would try not to get sucked in. Doesn't it strike you as strange that in one of her posts she is bragging about her new toy? If somebody is honestly trying to raise money for any endeavour... she would be eating a lot less...wearing t-shirts or old thrift shop clothing, no jewellery..etc.. and definitely not bragging about new lap tops.
There are way too many scams making tons of money on the internet right now... just think...if 1,000 people send only $5... she already made 5 grand. Police advise against sending anything to anybody and be darn careful of sending any info about yourself that anybody can use against you.

I'm just saying...........

Maggie Moo said...

1. The button is back up.

2. If you read carefully bumblevee the post you are referring to is a year old, brought back from her archives...a lot changes in a year. A year ago Jamie was in Kentucky in a house and going to REAL school.

There are still good people in this world, and a little charity never hurts.

I'm just saying...

Cookie..... said...

Be carefull MightyMom. It's obvious from reading your various posts that you are a good Christian woman with a big loving heart...but, being a retired cop...I tend to be very skeptical of these things unless I can verify them completely.

As "Bumblevee" said...there a ton of internet scams out there.... and...as cautious as I am...I damned near got taken in on one. Granted...it was a very good scam, but never the less, even I almost got burnt and posted it on my blog...how embarrasing that would have been...

See if there is some way to possibly verify any of this before you unwittingly aid in a felony. If it's a legitimate situation... then by all means...full speed ahead, otherwise, your going to feel awfully bad if you and your friends and readers were taken in by some low life bloodsuckers...

Patti said...

Mighty Mom: Thanks for visiting me today. It's always nice to have new readers.

I have posted something about Linda's plight in my sidebar...I hope people don't think this is a scam! Linda is a wonderful blog friend and a great mom.

Linda said...

I thought maybe I should pop in and speak up for myself here being as how the motives behind Mags' attempt to help me out in getting Jamie home is being seen as some sort of a scam.

First and foremost, I never asked Mags to write a post - she did it out of the kindness of her heart for a friend. It was an act of love on her part, not an act of deceit. It hurts me to think that people would think that though I certainly do understand that there are any number of scams out there that people should be suspicious of.

Second, for those who are not familiar with me - I have a law enforcement background myself having started my current career as a 911 dispatcher with first a police department in California and later on another here in Connecticut. I know full well that there are any number of crooks out there who will take you for every single penny they can get and feel no remorse whatsoever.

Third, I do not write about this situation on my own blog because I don't want my ex-husband to catch wind of the fact that I intend to take him to court to sue for custody. He does, in fact, read my blog from time to time and the last thing I want to do is tip him off as, trust me, he can be a real pain and will cut off all communication with my daughter and I for as long as possible as well as make her life more of a living hell than it already is.

Fourth, it would be fantastic if 1,000 people each gave $5 but such is not the case and I would hope it wouldn't cost me that much for an attorney anyway.

Fifth, as far as "new toys" go - sure, I got a new toy last year with my tax return when my daughter was happily living in a real house in Kentucky and attending a real school and was happy. The move to the RV in Florida happened over this past summer and I wasn't aware of how bad it was until my daughter was home at Christmastime. I gave her a cell phone and the pictures of the trailer were taken with that phone and sent to me without her father knowing otherwise I would have no idea of the conditions that she is living in.

Sixth, well, there shouldn't have to be a sixth as I shouldn't have to try to justify any further that the efforts made by a good friend of mine out of love and concern for a young girl are legitimate.

I apologize for going on like this, I think I'm a little hurt that a friend and myself were referred to as "lowlife blood suckers" when Mags' intention was just to get a young girl home before she takes it upon herself to run away.

MM, thank you so much for your support by reposting this from Mags' original. Even if it garners not one single penny, I am touched by your willingness to come to the aid of someone you only know via online communications. Unlike my ex-husband who touts himself to be a God-fearing good Christian man, you truly are a good Christian and a good friend.

Cookie..... said...

Linda...read my comment entirely. I did NOT refer to YOU as a "low life bloodsucker". That was a generalization about that kind of person. I also stated that if MightyMom determines all this to be legitimate..."by all means..full steam ahead."

Sorry you took that comment so personally but I was just concerned for her. I feel bad for your daughter, and I hope folks can do whatever they can to assist you both, but, again, I'm always cautious of these scenarios'...and ya know something..it's a damn shame that I have to be...but that is the kind of world we live in...

Maggie Moo said...

I'm really sad that my doing something nice for my friend and her daughter resulted in these comments.

I know why the world is going down the drain-people are afraid to do nice things b/c they'll be called bad people.

MM-thank you for posting this. I greatly appreciate it.

Linda said...

Back again!

Cookie, I do understand your skepticism and I'm the queen of it myself most of the time. I did read your whole comment thoroughly several times and know that you didn't call myself and Mags that however when it's used in the same paragraph it almost feels like guilt by association, that's all!

i do admire you wanting your friend to proceed with caution but for now, it's time to move on, right? Onward and upward to bigger and better things with no hard feelings on my end and I hope none on yours either.

Cookie..... said...

No hard feelings, and again, I'm sorry you initially took that interpretation. I wish you all the best in your efforts to get your daughter out of that domestically violent situation, and it is domestic violence because it appears to be about your ex controlling your daughter, and thats what domestic violence is about...

Can you have the local Family Court look into her allegations?

Anonymous said...

Once again, I had NO IDEA this was going on! This is what I hate about our justice system...or family law. MM, thanks for taking a stand for Linda.

... said...

this, indeed, is so sad and tragic. my heart goes out to both mom and daughter. i pray that something will happen - and soon - to change the course of this terrible situation.