LAS VEGAS... what can I say?The lights are mesmerizing, the buildings extraordinary, the music, the shows, the colours... all beyond incredible!Cirque du Soliel Mystere was mind blowing. I am astounded that people can do these things. Their talent and skill is beyond anything I have ever seen.It was truly unbelievable.

On the strip however, there is less to be impressed about.My two men were bombarded with pamphlets, pictures, cards, and scantily dressed "babes" on every corner, billboard, and walkway, including some billboards driving up and down the strip on the back of trucks. So I was not at all amazed when my eldest daughter solemnly whispered, "It's not really a girl's town is it?"No, not really.There is a hollow resonance screaming from all the disillusioned people desperately searching for something meaningful in the shadows of the glamorous streets of Vegas.

Perhaps it is my training as a counsellor or my knowledge and experience with abuse that has contaminated my view of glitz and glamour.I kept wondering as I looked in the eyes of the dealers and dancers - how they see themselves in the mirror at home.I wondered how many struggled with eating disorders, anxiety, insecurity, identity... I felt hopeless and overwhelmed with emotion... and then my fifteen year old gave her sandwich to a young girl with a sign that read, "hungry and pregnant" and my hope returned.

My prayers go out to every misguided heart - may they find true Hope and Peace.