If you do NOT want to hear my rant move below the line to read a beautiful post written by Amy.
After hearing the news from Washington today, once again, I was overwhelmingly disheartened by people. What in the world is wrong with people? What gives any human being the right to think they are better than anyone else? Who convinced this 88 year old man he had the RIGHT to take another man's life because his skin happened to be black? I know someone will say he comes from a different generation. Oh yeah?? Who cares!!!! The security guard was holding the door for an elderly man who he thought was a museum visitor. In return, the old guy pulls out a rifle and shoots him. WHAT??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME????
I am so sick of excuses. I am so sick of hearing other people talk about "how I was raised". I am so sick of hearing about "a different generation". I am so sick of hearing ridiculous comments about "those people". You know what? I didn't grow up in the most racially diverse community either. I am certain a different generation of thoughts and feelings filtered through me at some point. For that, I am eternally sorry. But you know what? I became an adult. Adults make their own choices and decisions in life. If I made decisions based upon "how I was raised" I would not be the person I am today. I am no saint by any stretch of the imagination but I will NEVER allow "how I was raised" to be my excuse for _________. We should not make decisions based upon the decisions of others. God created each of us with a heart and a brain. We should use it. We were all uniquely made in His image. Every last one of us.
Shortly after reading the story, I came across this post from Amy. It is my hearts cry today. It may be my hearts cry for the rest of my life. Poignant words Amy. Thank you.
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By now, one thing you must know about me is that "hate" is an emotion I just don't understand. Hateful feelings, hateful speech, hateful actions...they all mystify me. And they sadden me. I can be surrounded by so much goodness, so much hopeful and happy and one hateful word, one hateful action can leave me feeling so hopeless about the world my children are growing within.
I won't ever discuss politics here. As far as I'm concerned, there is no one "group," be they left or right, ethnic "minority" or "majority," educated or uneducated, socially and economically advantaged or disadvantaged who holds the corner on the Hate Market. It's an unfortunate reality that among all of humankind, hate is a condition that can and will be found.
I will discuss feelings, hopes, where I am coming from in my heart.
At times I think I must be incredibly naive...to believe that we are all just "one." We are constantly being persuaded through the media, in universities that we are actually quite separate. We are rich or we are poor. We are opportunists or we are victims. We are privileged or we are disenfranchised. We are black. We are white. We are Latino. We are Asian. We are left. We are right. If we think this, we are bigots. If we say that, we are racist. It's OK to want to save the whales, but a sign of ignorance to want to save the children. If you love this, then you can't love that. If you believe this, then you can't stand for that.
I believe that we are all children of God.
Some of us may not want to be. That's between those individuals and God.
Some of us may not know Him. I hope through my small existence and the way I conduct my life, one person will be encouraged to seek Him.
Some may not want to know Him. I hope their hearts are softened.
Some may know Him in a way that is different from the way I know Him. He loves them just the same.
Some may love Him as passionately, but understand him differently. He loves them just the same.
I am in no position to pass judgement.
I wish with all my heart that we could get to a place where we can see past the things that make us "different" to the many things that make us "one."
[Recently] I found myself looking into the faces of children who need parents. Children with no Mommy or Daddy to hold their hands as they undergo surgery or treatments for their needs. Children with no one to hold them, to rock them to sleep, to whisper songs into their ears and dreams into their hearts.
You understand this. I know you all do because this is the tie that bonds us through adoption. I didn't see Chinese children or African children, Haitian or Colombian children. I didn't see Buddhist children or Muslim children or Christian children. I didn't see children with cleft lips, or malformed limbs, with defective hearts or unseeing eyes. For that matter, I didn't see any "healthy" children. No orphan can ever be considered "Non"special needs. Of course every orphan has a "special need." They need someone to claim them. They need a Mom.
There's something about becoming a mom for most of us that causes us to be color blind, need blind, heritage blind. There's something about being a mom that causes most of us to look into the eyes of these children and see nothing more than a child. A child who needs a mom.
I just want to be a mom.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hate is a "bad word" in our house. We do not hate bananas. We do not hate weeds in our flower beds. We do not hate Princess toys or Batman. We certainly do not hate people. We may not like ______. We may not agree with _______. We do not hate in any way, shape or form. Someday I hope my children are as mystified by the word as I am.
Amy, thank you so much for sharing your heart.
Stepping off...
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