Posts by Mountain Shadows

By: Sheryl Wilde Step. Stop. Breathe. Step. Stop. Breathe. It was like living in a barbeque pit for 9 days – a barbeque pit measuring more than 24 miles across. Ash filled the air – burned the nostrils, the lungs. And the dust. A storm cloud of dust and ash rose on the 50-mile-an-hour winds,…

BAMM! The shiny new Mercedes-Benz convertible crashed into the wall of Laurel Park house as Marquez squealed with glee. BAMM! The car hit the wall again. Then, his eyes bright, lost in a world of his imagination, he revved the engine, screeching out a tight 360 with the remote-controlled car. Many of you may know…

January 10, 2017 No arms.  No legs.  No limits. By: Sheryl Wilde “To state the obvious, I have no limbs, and this has placed me in the group of people born into this world with immediate challenges. But I am here right now to let you all know that life is worth living no matter…

December 20, 2016 I’ll never forget the day when Sandra* told me this story about her son, Luke*: Luke was sitting alone in a long hallway. He was hunched forward in his wheelchair, apparently sleeping. Sandra scanned the white-walled hallway of the state institution. It was empty, except for her son. She was thankful he…

November 22, 2016 Happy Thanksgiving! “Doing things for others makes me feel good in my heart. Many people don’t take the time to help others. Many people take things for granted. Many don’t realize the gifts they’ve been given. We should cherish every breath we take. We can all do something wonderful.” -Brittany Barnson, Mountain…

October 18, 2016 Mila: A Mountain Shadows Story of Hope By: Sheryl Wilde If I told you my story, you would hear hope that wouldn’t let go.* She was born in the middle of the night, in a shower, to a 13-year-old girl, who didn’t know she was pregnant. She was unresponsive when first responders…

September 27, 2016 By: Sheryl Wilde Every child is an artist until he’s told he’s not an artist.  At Mountain Shadows we wholeheartedly agree with this statement, originally uttered by John Lennon in the 1960’s.  And recently, at Mountain Shadows Outreach Services, we invited our clients to tap into their inner-artist and unleash their full…

July 26, 2016 Janeth Monroy: Holding up the Sky for Mountain Shadows Residents By: Sheryl Wilde There is a Chinese proverb which says, “Women hold up half the sky.” It is upon this adage that the non-profit organization, Half the Sky, a Foundation dedicated to transforming the lives of marginalized children in developing countries, was…

July 12, 2016 Feeding the Soul “HoliDaze” Concert Benefits Mountain Shadows By: Sheryl Wilde “Together we can join for fun and music and make a big difference at the same time,” says Vallie Gilley, Founder and President of Feeding the Soul Foundation. Established in 2010, Feeding the Soul produces concerts for causes.  “Our goal is…

June 7, 2016 Writing Dreams on Clouds By: Sheryl Wilde Across the top of the pink, slightly crumpled piece of construction paper was written: “I have a dream …” Then came the dreams. There were five dreams in all, written on beautiful, puffy white clouds, surrounded by glimmering stars of gold. On the first cloud,…