Then I thought - Hey! My college graduation is this weekend! I should write about my accomplishment in graduating nursing school (which is a certain kind of hell unto it's own) at 43 years old, with 4 kids, working 24 hours a week. Not to mention I'm a first generation college graduate in our family. That's a pretty big deal, right? I totally beat the odds! The statistics that say, in general, kids will only do as well as their parents did in terms of education. Neither of my parents graduated high school, and although they are/were very intelligent people, they never got the opportunity to finish their high school education. Heck, I think my dad only actually finished 8th or maybe 9th grade.
Then I read this: Pregnant Woman Shot in Detroit. A woman I know named Laura, heads up an outreach at our church called My Sister Song. The basic concept here is to reach out to women in the sex industry and those victimized by human trafficking, and show them a little love, compassion and acceptance. You can read all about what they do on the site linked above.
Anyway, in this article, there is almost no information given except that this young woman is a prostitute and she's 8 months pregnant, and she was shot through the abdomen. The article is fairly unremarkable. The comments, however, turn my stomach. I could go on and on about hatefulness and judgement, but that's not what this is about.
You'll see some comments by my friend Laura there too. They are loving and encouraging. She doesn't get caught in the trap of trying to make
Anyway, I e-mailed Laura, I told her how mad I was and that I was having a hard time not ripping these
"...But I've been learning how to fight back constructively. I spoke our truth and allow the reader to weigh out the differences between the hate posts and our love posts so I don't dignify their remarks with an answer... I've had moments of staring at their remarks while thinking, "how can I approach this to wake them up!". But no, I'm putting my energy into the lil sweetheart they're ripping to shreds and we're gonna watch God build her up! YAY!!!"
She just keeps focusing on that girl and her baby. She blows me away with how she loves people. Even people who don't "deserve" it, people who the world says are worthless, trash, less than human. I learn so much about love from her.
So while I have a lot to be proud of, today I'm most proud of this remarkable woman. I'm proud that I get to call her my friend. I'm proud to be a part of the outreach she leads, and to join up with women who aren't afraid to love when they've got nothing to gain, and plenty to lose.
Check out Theme Thursday over at Something Clever 2.0. Read some posts, make a friend...
Traci, this is beautiful and your friend Laura sounds like a remarkable woman. If only there were more like her in this messed up world we live in. No one has the right to judge anyone else's choices in life---they have no clue until they walk a mile in the other person's shoes. On a lighter note, let me tell you congratulations on your college graduation---You are a role model for others who perhaps feel it's too late for them to go back to school and make changes in their lives. It's never too late---we had a gentleman here who received his diploma last year when he turned 81!
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ReplyDeleteSorry for deleting the first comment Traci, I pasted the wrong thing in :( Below is my reply to your post.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations in graduating from nursing school whilst at the same time managing what I call a large family and work. Well done. It just goes to show that sometimes age is no barrier. Continue to move from strength to strength and let nothing hold you back.
It's good to have such a friend like Laura who you can bounce off, and she returns it with love and compassion. It's also good how Laura was able to see through all those bad comments and turn it around into something positive. It's just sad when people think that because you are a prostitute or such like, that it gives them a right to pull you down with words. None of us know where we may end up tomorrow, and life is uncertain at the best of times.
I see what you mean about those comments - I can't believe people would say such things after an incident like that. Thumbs up to Laura for holding it down.