We've all experienced injustice one way or another at some point in our lifetime. Usually we just deal with it ourselves or try to find some way to fix it or accept it. If that doesn't work, there's always the court system we can go through to try to get it resolved.

But when injustice happens where it shouldn't and when you least expect it, when the very people who claim they’re there to help you with a problem actually exacerbate, or add to the problem, then lie out of both sides of their mouth about it, you begin to realize they weren’t there to help you resolve the problem at all. Who would do something like that if they were truly there to help you? Their goal all along may have been to steal from you - not help you, to take as much money as they could possibly get out of you, then leave you practically penniless or as deep in debt as they could in an attempt to make sure you wouldn't be able to do anything about them stealing from you. I guess if you were rendered penniless, that would certainly take care of that, wouldn't it.  But if something like this happens, isn't there something you can do about it? Well, you could probably file a complaint against them, maybe even a police report, and you could probably yell and scream until you're blue in the face about what they did to you. But that doesn't take care of the problem you originally wanted help for, and now you have another one. You may not have enough finances left to get help for either case now - but yes, there is something else you can do.

You still have a voice, and sometimes that, in and of itself can be the most powerful and rewarding tool of all. If you've ever had to go through anything like this before, you may have thought to yourself, "if only I had known about these people beforehand, I would've never asked for their help to begin with".  Who are these people who have wronged you?  Might other people benefit from knowing who they are so they don't become victims themselves? Obviously, the pain and suffering people endure when something like this happens can be absolutely devastating because in this day and age, financial loss can negatively affect every single aspect of a person's life. One of the most important things to realize though is that you're not alone. There are others out there who've also experienced an unwarranted injustice and no longer want to suffer in silence, and no longer feel they should have to.

Let us band together, share our experiences, and lend an ear or soft shoulder. Unfortunately, this is not a group that can offer monetary assistance, but rather one that will offer compassion, understanding, and comfort to those who have been so terribly wronged. For in the end, the thing that can sustain us the most and help get us through anything life throws our way, is just knowing that there are people out there that really and truly do care!

Come join us for a relaxing time and friendly conversation. We will meet maybe once a month or so at a restaurant possibly in Urbandale or West Des Moines. However, depending on the number of participants, we may decide to have meetings at one of the libraries. If you are elderly or disabled, and want to come to our meetings but do not have a ride, please let me know ahead of time, and we'll do our best to get one for you.

Q: What's the worst thing you can do when someone does you wrong?

A: Keep quiet about it!



** Meetup dates and times have not yet been decided upon.