JOHN PORTERFIELD, MFT
In this year of the Pandemic, it is especially helpful to focus on positive aspectsoflife,andtowork to restore one’s feelings in a whole-hearted way.
I spent the first seven years of my career in the mental health field working with foster children—first, as a case manager, and secondly, as a therapist. As you know, these kids have been subjected to terrible things from a young age, which are both ongoing and tragic.
The hardest part of my job was taking the kids to the Edelman Children’s Court, who we would spend the day waiting for their parents to be called before the judge. Each child would attend these hearings, and what they always learned was that their mom and/or dad was not doing the things required to bring their children home. They would come back very quiet, or angry, and I would feel utterly helpless and inadequate. I couldn’t even hug them. At the end of the day I drove the kids back to their foster family - where real nurturance and caring was often lacking.
The Practice of the Presence of God
(Needlepoint, 15” x 21”)
On a short vacation to San Francisco, I came across a beautiful needlepoint store that touched a deep place within me. I spent an hour in the shop, choosing my first needlepoint to make, and when I returned home, I started right into it. It was very challenging and took seven months to complete. But shortly it became a meditation for me. My thoughts of the day evaporated, and I found a soulful place that lifted my spirit. For this reason, I have entitled the needlepoint, “The Practice of the Presence of God.”
Carl Jung wrote, “The principal aim of psychotherapy is not to transport the patient to an impossible state of happiness, but to help him acquire steadfastness and philosophic patience in the face of suffering. Life demands for its completion and fulfillment a balance between joy and sorrow.”