A Woman’s Prayer

Now I lay me, down to rest,

I pray to the Lord, as I lay my head.

My heart is troubled and I feel so weak,

Yet I dare to lay here and try to sleep.

No matter what I feel inside,

This I pray when I close my eyes.

Protect my children each and every day,

Guide them as they go their separate ways.

A new kind of freedom they have found,

Forward into adulthood they are bound.

I have a man, who works hard every day,

He provide for his family in his own special way.

Give him strength to face daily challenges and plights,

And a protective shield to bring him home safe at night.

There are loved ones and friends spread near and far,

Provide them with health, happiness, and love in their hearts.

Furthermore, I do not come to you in prayer for me tonight,

For if you can do these things for me, I know I’ll be alright.

Thank you Lord for all that you give and all that you do,

But most of all Lord, thank you for being you.

By Sherri L. Gonyea

November 1, 2011

A Dozen Roses

She had so many hopes,

She dreamt so many dreams.

Every time she tried to fly,

She couldn’t find her wings.

She searched down every highway,

She reached through every corridor.

Every time she found some hope,

Someone would close the door.

God gave her a dozen roses,

That brought her to her knees.

With every rose came His gift of love,

That healed her broken wing.

She took the roses in her hands,

And spread her wings to fly.

Up on her feet she proudly stands,

Now with her head held high.

With each door that she opens,

She gently hands them a rose.

Sharing her dreams with them,

Telling how the roses gave her hope.

God gave her a dozen roses,

That brought her to her knees.

With every rose came His gift of love,

That healed her broken wing.

One more rose left to share,

One more door to look behind;

When she saw what was there,

The tears welled up, and she cried.

All her dreams and hopes

Were waiting for her there,

Holding a dozen roses

That He wanted to share.

God gave her a dozen roses,

That brought her to her knees.

With every rose came His gift of love,

That healed her broken wing.

By Sherri Gonyea

March 14, 2012

Christian Ethics Framework in Human Services

Christian Ethics Framework

In Human Services

Sherri L. Gonyea

Empire State College

December 3, 2013

Preamble

The Christian values and ethics of a human service professional which “are reflected in the Bible, originate from the transfer of knowledge about God and humankind through biblical understanding” (Hollinger, p. 10). They also derive from previously published ethics of various human service professions (e.g., Human Services, Social Work, and Christian Counseling). This is an ethical framework that strives to combine the core of Christianity and human services together to enrich the power of care and service to the client by providing the highest quality service available to them with respect to their own culture, diversity, religion, and needs.

The primary mission of the human service professional is to adhere to the core values of Christianity and human services to promote high quality service and care, along with promoting the well-being, best interest, and diversity of the client. The client is defined as an individual, family, group, organization, or community. Human service professionals provide aid to clients in the community and in their own environment in order to fully serve clients’ diverse needs and broad area of care. The human service profession and all connecting service professions (e.g., Christian profession, educators, students) “uphold the integrity and ethics of the profession, partake in constructive criticism of the profession, promote client and community well-being, and enhance their own professional growth” (NOHSE, 1996).

The mission of the human service profession is based on a set of core values that provides a diverse, unique, and respected perspective for the professional and profession. This is a list of the primary core values:

• Service
• Integrity
• Respect
• Love
• Competence
• Social justice

Core values, and the principles that flow from them, must be balanced within the context and complexity of the human experience (NASW, 2008). These core values also allow the professional to keep God as a central figure in all aspects of the profession by allowing them to stay faithful to their Christian values.

Ethical Principles

The following list of ethical principles reflect on human service professional’s core values of service, integrity, respect, love, competence and social justice. These principles set the foundation for primary morals human service professionals should desire.

Value: Service

Ethical Principle: Human Service professionals’ primary goal is to serve others, especially those in need, those unable to speak for themselves, and address the social problems of the client.

Human service professionals are “to be servant minded and servant leaders in the same way Christ came to serve humankind” (Hollinger, p. 8). Human service professionals serve with only the client’s best interest at heart, Human service professionals utilize all their personal, business, and community resources to help the vulnerable and oppressed and solve social issues. Human service professionals are expected to provide some volunteer services utilizing some of their professional skills.

Value: Integrity

Ethical Principle: Human service professionals are to be trustworthy and honest.

“Human service professionals are continually aware of the missions, values, ethical principles, and ethical standards and practices in a manner consistent with them” (NASW, 2008). Human service professionals stand firm on their Christian teachings which uphold the values of truth, honesty, and responsibility. Human service professionals will also support the ethical practices of each organization to which they are associated with.

Value: Respect

Ethical principle: Human service professionals respect a person’s worth, background, origin, and cultural and ethnic diversity.

Human service professionals will reach out to each client with care, compassion, empathy, and genuine Christian love while keeping in mind any differences to cultural and ethnic diversity with the greatest amount of respect. Human service professionals support clients’ self-determination, encouragement towards self-advocacy, and excitement towards ability to change, learn, grow, and address their own needs. Human service professionals recognize their responsibility towards resolving conflicts between the interests of clients and broader society in a respectable and responsible manner consistent with the values, ethical principles, and ethical standards of their profession.

Value: Love

Ethical Principle: Human service professionals will love others in the same way that God loves us.

Human service professionals will not judge clients for they have not walked in their shoes and God teaches us not to pass judgment but only to share empathy to gain a better understanding so we can serve them at our best. Human service professionals will serve clients with the same love God provides for them with respect to ethical boundaries. Human service professionals will be compassionate towards client’s problems and needs.

Value: Competence

Ethical principle: Human service professionals “practice within their area of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise” (NASW, 2008).

Human service professionals work continuously to improve their knowledge, skills, and area of expertise through classes, research, training, workshops, and conferences in order to apply the highest performance of service and care for the clients in which they serve. Human service professionals also share a desire to contribute resources of their expertise and networks to improve the quality of service for everyone.

Value: Social Justice

Ethical principle: Human service professionals fight against injustices.

Human service professionals fight for the rights of the vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people to promote community change and improvements. Human service professionals focus primarily on areas such as poverty, unemployment, discrimination and other forms of social injustices as root community problems that need prompt attention, and do so with a focus on change towards improvement. Human service professionals will activate all their resources and work side-by-side in a cooperative effort with clients to collaborative access to needed information, services, and resources through shared decision making. Human service workers strive to “support sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity” (NASW, 2008).

Section 1- Standards for Human Service Professionals

The Christian human service professional has multiple functions and roles when working with clients of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and walks of life. Some of these varying roles that they embrace involve being a consultant, a case manager, a teacher, an advocate, evaluator and a confidant.

The Human Service Professional’s Responsibility to Self (Reasons, 2013)

STATEMENT 1: I will do my best to take care of my body through exercise and a healthy eating habit. By doing this I will also be strengthen my emotional health by reducing stress and other harmful external factors.

STATEMENT 2: I will continue to strengthen my spiritual life with daily prayer, meditation, bible study, song and praise.

STATEMENT 3: I will continue to enhance my skills and knowledge through research, workshops, classes, independent study, and conferences.

STATEMENT 4: I will manage my time well by balancing my work, family, personal time, and adhering to a Sabbath day each week for rest and an annual vacation.

STATEMENT 5: I will live my daily life honestly, respectfully, nonjudgmental, giving generously financially for a good cause or to help others, and always seeking to serve others by giving of myself and asking of nothing in return.

STATEMENT 6: I will seek to be Christ-like in attitude and action toward all persons regardless of race, social class, religious beliefs, or position of influence within the community, organization, or government.

The Human Service Professional’s Responsibility to Clients (NOHSE, 1996)

STATEMENT 7: Human service professionals collaborate with clients to work on an agreement for the purpose, goals, and reason for their helping relationship before their relationship begins. Human service professionals also discuss the limitations of their anticipated relationship with the clients.

STATEMENT 8: Human service professionals hold the highest respect for the honor and well-being of the client and treating them with the same treatment that God would provide for all of us.

STATEMENT 9: Human service professionals strongly adhere to the rules of confidentiality on all levels, except; a) When there is threat of harm to self or others; b.) Agency policies specify otherwise; c.) When local, state, or federal laws override confidentiality in a specific case; and d) when given written consent by client to provide information. All aspects of confidentiality are explained to clients in language they understand, by the human service professional upon first encounter, before service is rendered.

STATEMENT 10: In crisis situations where “harm” is present, whether to self or others, the human service professional is to act in a professional and timely manner as trained to protect all parties involved. “This may involve seeking consultation, supervision, and/or breaking the confidentiality of the relationship” (NASW, 2008) to ensure everyone’s safety.

STATEMENT 11: Human service professionals must safeguard client records at all times to protect client’s rights to confidentiality, integrity, and security. With exception to professional supervision, a client’s written consent must be collected prior to sharing client information.

STATEMENT 12: Human service professionals are aware of and fully understand the level of unequal power and status between them and their clients. Human service professionals exert great caution to dual relationships whenever possible to prevent risk of impaired professional judgment, harm to self or client, and/or possible exploitation.

STATEMENT 13: Sexual relationships with clients, past or present, are not permissible at any time due to conflict of morals and ethics, both personal and religious. These types of relationships are explicitly prohibited.

STATEMENT 14: Human service professionals support and encourage client’s rights to self-determination and recognize the client’s freedom and right to receive and refuse services at any time.

STATEMENT 15: Human service professionals support client empowerment and recognition of strengths, values, and culture is expressly and freely given.

STATEMENT 16: Human service professionals recognize the new second commandment and law “love one another” (1 John 2:7, New Living Testament). By doing this, human service professionals will embrace and accept the client’s personal identity as a whole, acknowledge their strengths; help strengthens, and help empower them with skills, knowledge, and other resources to help improve their quality of life.

The Human Service Professional’s Responsibility to the Community and Society

STATEMENT 17: Human service professionals maintain awareness of local, state, and federal laws at all times and will research, and/or seek consultation if at any time there is a need to do so. Human service professionals will fight for change in any unjust policies, laws and regulations that go against the client’s rights for fair and equal treatment and/or opportunities. When faced with a conflict between the “rights of the people” and the laws, human service professionals may opt for social change and fight for justice.

STATEMENT 18: Human service professional keeps up to date on social issues and takes on the role of publicist to keep the client, and community informed of any new information that may affect, benefit, or be of interest to them.

STATEMENT 19: Human service professionals respect and understand all complexities of interactions in life (e.g., community, individual, family) and will face these complexities with patience, prayer, and understanding.

STATEMENT 20: The human service professional is dedicated to serving to and advocating for the client and the community for quality services, maximum resource availability, and increased awareness of their unmet needs in order to gain more support to find ways to meet those needs.

STATEMENT 21: Human service professionals will not misrepresent their profession or their area of expertise with clients, colleagues, the community, or in public in any way. Human service professionals will take great care to accurately and effectively be a spokesperson for their profession, and the effectiveness of the resources available within the agency and their successes.

STATEMENT 22: Human service professionals “must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35, New Living Testament). Human service professionals must always advocate for all people but mostly for the oppressed, disabled, elderly, poor, and all minorities because it is the moral and just thing to do.

STATEMENT 23: Human service professionals must love another as addressed in STATEMENT 16 (above) and therefore will not discriminate or tolerate discrimination in any form or of any person(s).

STATEMENT 24: Human service professionals will respect and accept all cultures due to living in a diverse society and world. Human service professionals will educate themselves and research information regarding any culture they are not familiar with in order to provide the best quality of service and care for all clients.

STATEMENT 25: Human service professionals will not impose their own beliefs, culture, and values on clients but will leave open the option to share them when interest is implied. Human service professionals will not use their beliefs, culture, or values in a manner to intentionally try to change, or force change, on others.

STATEMENT 26: Human service professionals are aware of sociopolitical issues that differentially affect clients from diverse backgrounds (NOHS, 1996, STATEMENT 20).

The Human Service Professional’s Responsibility’s to Colleagues

STATEMENT 27: Human service professionals will utilize their God-given original and unique special way of working with clients. They don’t attempt to copy others but will consult with other professionals if it is necessary for helping the client.

STATEMENT 28: The human service professional will respect other professionals, even when there is a conflict between them. They will remember that each person is a human being and each person is unique and different. If a conflict arises, they will approach it respectfully by discussing it and attempting to work it out with the professional whom the conflict is with first before turning to others in the chain of command (e.g., supervisor, consultants) for assistance.

STATEMENT 29: Human service professionals will approach unethical behavior by following agency policy: a.) respectfully attempting to resolve it with the other professional, b.) report behavior to supervisor if there is no resolve, c.) report to administrative staff of agency or to agency where professional belongs.

STATEMENT 30: Confidentiality is binding and respected between professionals in the same way it is between professional and clients. The professional’s privacy will be respected, as well as any shared information regarding clients and agency.

The Human Service Professional’s Responsibility to Agency or Employer

STATEMENT 31: Human service professionals respect the scope of their knowledge and skills and do not attempt to exceed what they are ethically capable of doing. The clients, agency, and community’s best interest is always put first.

STATEMENT 32: Integrity, respect, and responsibility are high on the list of values for human service professionals which mean that they will keep any commitments they make to their employers.

STATEMENT 33:  Human service professionals will work hard to maintain high quality of care and services that the agency provides, and assist in increasing access to resources. The human service professional also regularly participates in agency assessments and evaluations to look for any room for improvement, assist with implementation of improved services/care, and to ensure current services are updated regularly to ensure continued effectiveness.

STATEMENT 34: The human service professional will show the same respect for the employer that is showed for the client and will consult both parties when a conflict arises regarding responsibilities between the two. The human service professional will make every effort to reach a resolution between all parties involved, together.

STATEMENT 35: Human service professionals understand that they also have a direct responsibility to self.

STATEMENT 36: Human service professionals acknowledge and embrace self-learning, self-empowerment, self-advocacy, and understand how all of these work together to help them upgrade their skills, knowledge, and understand how all of these combined give them the ability to upgrade their services, agency services, and community services.

STATEMENT 37: Human service professionals know and agree to the knowledge of continual upgrade in their knowledge and skills through classes, seminars, conferences, workshops, personal or agency training, and research in order to provide the best quality of care and services possible throughout their employment life with the agency.

Section II- Summary of Steps to be taken in Ethical Decision Making

There are no right and wrongs to how a person approaches ethical decision-making. Professionals can disagree with and challenge the ethical decision made for resolving a problem. The important thing is to think things out thoroughly, use a good guide that works for you or your agency, and if in doubt, consult another professional. It is best to follow these steps in the ethical decision making framework (Reamer, 1999, p. 73).

1. Identify the conflict that is at hand (ethical issues, values, duties). The conflict will more than likely be among more than one issue.

2. Identify who will be affected by the ethical decision that is made (individual, group, organization). The decision may affect more than one person.

3. Identify possible ways to resolve the dilemma, who is involved with each path, and possible risks with each direction you could take.

4. Take each possible resolution and with each one take into consideration 1) a relevant code of ethics and legal principle, 2) favorable reasons and opposing reasons for that resolution idea.

5. Don’t make the decision alone. Consult another professional within the agency to assist you. Not all decisions are easy to make and not all decisions get resolved. Sometimes, even after consulting with other professionals (e.g., colleagues, administrators, ethics committees), it can still be controversial.

6. Make your decision and make sure that you document the process that brought you to the decision you made (from beginning to end).

7. Monitor, evaluate, and document the decision outcome. It is important to continue to monitor, evaluate, and document even after making the decision to ensure that the outcome is a positive one and a proper resolution. This allows the professional to be accountable to the client, employer, and funding sources. This is also important in the event something goes wrong and there is an ethics complaint, malpractice suit, or lawsuit filed.

References

Hollinger, Thomas D. (n.d.), Placing Christ at the Center of Christian Leadership Values. Inner

Resources for Leaders, volume 2, (issue 3). Retrieved from http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/innerresources/vol2iss3/hollinger.pdf

National Association of Social Workers (2008), Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp

National Organization for Human Services (1996), Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals. Retrieved from http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals

Reamer, F. (1999). Social work values and ethics (3^rd ed.). New York: Columbia University Press.

Reasons, James A. (2013), A Minister’s Code of Ethics: A higher level of commitment and Conduct. Retrieved from http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200404/200404_102_code.cfm

Exploring Your Personal values

Sherri Gonyea

Human Service Ethics

November 14, 2013

During our early childhood years, we learn from our parents, family, friends, and society the difference between what is right and wrong, how to treat others, view ourselves, and how to perceive what we see and hear. We are taught morals and values that stay with us as we grow up and mature. The values we learn during adolescence are the core “foundation” to what will guide us through our lives. As we grow and face many challenges and become more educated, some of those values may change but for the most part, the values that form the foundation of our personality will develop and become grounded as part of who we are as adults. I’d like to share with you some of my most important values, why I have chosen these values as most important to me, and an analysis of what factors I believe led me to both these values and priorities in my life with each assessment test. I will conclude with what I learned from this exercise that was new or surprising and what ways my personal values might impact my work as a human service professional. Let’s start with some of my most important values and why I chose each of them.

To assess my most important values, I used three self-assessment tests in “What Would You Do? An ethical case workbook for human services professionals.” (Kenyon, 1999). The Tests I used are as follows: “Childhood Value Messages” (p. 25); “Rate Your Values” (p. 27); and “Self-Esteem Rating Scale” (p. 29). I’m going to attempt to evaluate my results for each test and explain my findings here in this document. I feel that the results will reveal more about who I am as a person. Let’s start with the first assessment test, the “Childhood Values Messages”.

When I re-read my childhood value messages, I found a lot of similarities among them. The values that came to mind while reading them were love, optimism, persistence, and self-respect. I attribute these values as being a result of my upbringing and surroundings during my childhood. My parents were both hard-working and well respected by everyone. Even though my parents were both busy, they always made time for family. That was important to them and still is today. With five children to raise, they certainly had their challenges but they always treated each of us equal and also taught us to treat others the same. They showed us how to help others and not turn our back on someone who needs us in any way. They introduced us to God and all the wonderful things He is all about.

On the next assessment tool, “Rate Your Values”, and using the values they had listed my top five were as follows: personal salvation, family, honesty, wisdom, and contributing to society. God and my personal salvation are, and always will be, number one in my life. He helps me through each day and gives me all I need including guidance through my day. Family will come next because my family means so much to me. I have learned so much from my family but most importantly, I’ve learned not to put work ahead of family. When all is said and done, family will always be there for me but work won’t. I love my family and we are close. Honesty is important in life. It’s not always easy but it is very important. If we can’t have honesty in all we do, then we lose trust and respect from others around us, and of ourselves. This can cause a lot of problems in all areas of our life. Contributing to society is something I just love and enjoy doing. It brings so much joy to my life to know that I am doing something good for others and for society. It is like a passion to me and something that I was born to do.

On the final assessment took, “Self-Esteem Rating Scale”, I did very well with just a few things I can work on. These items aren’t anything major but related to simple things that most people may have some question about when looking at oneself. One that was mid-way on the scale was a question of feeling that others do things better than I do. I believe this may be common. Everyone feels insecure in this area from time to time, especially when the other person is someone who may have more experience in the area or has more education/knowledge of topic at hand. It’s common to feel as though someone may be smarter than you and its okay so long as you realize why and don’t let that feeling or reality make you feel unworthy or inferior. It’s important to understand why you have those feelings and know that one day, with continued learning and growth; you will be just as smart as they are. Another was feeling that I am a boring person. Well, I tend to be boring sometimes but that’s okay. I’m not made to be exciting all the time. I can handle not being center of attention all the time. I don’t live an exciting life anymore. I’m an adult who is mature and more grounded, so I settle for boring over excitement a little more often. I had my share of excitement already. The final one was that I feel others do things better than I do. I think this kind of goes hand-in-hand with others being smarter than me. It’s a matter of being more experienced in some areas than I am and more skilled. I also have to keep in mind that I do have a vision and hearing impairment that makes things more challenging so yes, others are going to do some things better than I can. That is life and I accept that. I can only do my very best and hope that it is always enough.

I strongly believe the main factors that lead me to these values are family, religion, challenges I’ve faced as a person with disabilities, and life struggles. We all know how family and religion play a part in creating a person’s values. Challenges I’ve faced as a person who has disabilities has made me more thankful for what I don’t have and for each day. I have become a strong advocate for myself and learned how to adapt in my life as my vision and hearing progressively worsen over the years. This has made me stronger and allows me to help others to overcome their challenges as well. I’m giving insight into how other people feel and view different things in their lives through all I’ve been through and also my son who lives with autism. Another factor that has helped and will make me strong in human services is the trauma I’ve gone through in my life: divorce and all types of abuse. Being a survivor gives me the tools and strength to help others fight and become empowered both by community resources and by their own inner strength.

These values are all important to me because they are a part of me; they are who I am as a person. My life is one of helping others daily. Every chance I get to help someone, I am there. Even as a child I always looked for ways to help others and I enjoyed it immensely. Every one of these values makes me a grounded person who is not afraid of challenges, hard work, and learning to do what I need to do. The values I’ve learned growing up have made me strong, insightful, wise, and humble. These are all things that will make me a very strong person in the human services field and a great advocate for helping others to become empowered as well.

Works cited

Reamer, F. (1999). Social work values and ethics (3rd Ed.). New York: Columbia University Press.

 

My Special Place

 

I have a special place that no one else can own, a place that has no limitations, is eternal, and is priceless. I can do many wonderful things in my special place. It is a place like none other. Can you guess where this can be? My special place is small but still the largest place on earth.

The mind is a wonderful tool that allows us to do many things, including what many people may consider to be impossible to accomplish in real life. In my mind, I can be anyone I want to be. I can be a nurse employed at a hospital full of children diagnosed with cancer. I imagine helping a child vomiting fiercely after she had received her chemo treatment, and trying like mad to coax her through her pain and discomfort. Maybe I’m the doctor who is suturing the laceration that is spurting blood everywhere, while trying desperately not to see that this accident victim could be one of my loved ones. On the other hand, I can even perform the heart transplant that saves the life of someone’s father or mother, who is barely clinging to life with every surge of oxygen that is pumped into their lungs. But, most of all, I can just be me and travel around this wonderful world without leaving my home.

An absolutely wonderful feature about my special place is that I can go anywhere I want to go. I might be in Hawaii surfing the gigantic waves that span for miles and tower over me as high as two or three-story buildings. Maybe I’m sun bathing on the beach with hot grains of sand seeping between my toes and sun drawn beads of moisture forming all over my body. Then I can be sitting by a roaring campfire listening to the sounds of the crickets singing from their hiding places in the tall green grass. I can spend countless hours looking up at the clear evening sky, gazing at the stars and looking for constellations hiding within. I’d memorize the fresh scent of the cool evening breeze carrying the aroma of fresh cut grass as it blows softly through the trees.

In my special place I can put all my thoughts into words and pictures. I can give my words feelings. I can display my ability to group words together and express many different emotions. I am able to express feelings like the love, anxiousness, stress, excitement, pain, and even anger I felt when I gave birth to my children. That precious moment of arrival of the infant who represents the innocence and miracle of life that spent nine months growing inside my body. I write words about visions of my past that invade my mind: I have countless memories of people who have influenced me while growing up and individuals who have made an impact on my life, humorous scenes playing over in my mind like displaying the first fish I caught while fishing with my Uncle, the vivid memory of the first wedding I was in as a little flower girl, even the first time I fell in love at age sixteen and thought it was the biggest event that happened in my life. But most of all, I can put words to the love, thankfulness, and feelings of being very blessed each time I look into my loved ones’ eyes. I realize how much they mean to me and how empty my life would be without them.

Yet another unique thing about my special place is that I can make the world a better place. I can take away all the hatred that has claimed the lives of many innocent victims without mercy. One of the greatest examples is the terrorist acts carried out on the World Trade Center and the planes that never reached their destinations. I can cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, which are destroying the lives of children and adults. I can make all the weapons disappear to eliminate all the mindless killings, like children shooting children in schools. I’d make wars non-existent so that our loved ones won’t have to leave home with the uncertainty of whether they will ever be with us again. But, most of all, I can make the world a loving and beautiful place where my children can be happy and free, and never have to know what fear feels like.

My mind is my most special place of all. With it I can escape the ugliness and imperfectness of the world. In my mind illness and hatred cease to exist, while eternal life and endless love will reign forever. In my mind I can be who I want to be without persecution, I can go wherever I want without boundaries, and I can say whatever I want to say without being judged. Finally, I can make my world the most beautiful place, and that place can only be “Heaven on earth”. Next time you need to get away from the world just sit back, close your eyes, and imagine yourself in your special place. Let your mind show you the beauty you have hidden deep inside your soul.