danelle

so i head over to mary's blog to see who posted
about the women in their lives yesterday. and i
find my son posting something that makes me cry.
and no...it's not about me....it's way better!

check it out:

I've had such great female influences in my life. My mother, for starters. While she did the obvious nine months of hard labor, she went above and beyond, and made mothering an ART. I'm grateful to her every day.

I've had an amazing principal who not only taught me about school and live, but sadness and death and how to die a full life.

But the woman I'd like to honor today does not consider herself a shining star in the sky of life. Her name is Danelle.

My brothers and I met Danelle on what I sincerely hope was the worst day of her life - because it should never be that bad again. We were all in my brother's pickup truck, going to race go karts at the parking lot. We passed this couple standing on the side - "Help, help! Call the police!" We thought she was laughing - she was sobbing. Her boyfriend had beaten her face bloody.

The guys and I had never witnessed domestic violence before. It affected us profoundly. We sat with her while we waited for the cops, her coward long since fled. Standing with her at times, and backing far enough away so she could cry without inhibition, we finally brought her home to mom so she could get herself cleaned up. While it was only a small gash above her right eye, the resulting hole in her soul is one I'll never forget.

I'd like to take this opportunity to honor Danelle, as I have a feeling she's never been honored before. I haven't seen her since, and will probably never see her again. While she'll never know, she has affected me greatly in my journey of life, and to understand. For this, I honor her, cry with her, and lift her up. I really hope she's found some peace.

Bless you, Danelle.