i don't even know how to be coherent this
morning.
yesterday i got into an email exchange with
someone who gets our quote of the day.
one thing led to another and i found myself
reading emails that were written by a friend
of hers in south africa.
this friend is down there til december
working with women and children where rape
is a way of life.
i tell ya, i read these letters and cried
and cried. and yeah, you will hear more about
it as i'm gonna set up something where everyone
can read them and we can reach out and help.
but for now, the stories are whirling in my mind.
they're ugly. they're horrible. they're heart
breaking.
and i keep thinking of the mindset of the men
who do these things. and how they can not possibly
view women and children with any value at all.
and babies?? how on earth can this happen??
and yeah, i know...it happens everywhere.
i think of the men and i cringe.
how could they have gotten this way?
and then i think of the men in my own life.
i know some amazing men.
and my own guy called this morning as i was
headin' out for a walk. i grabbed the cell and
took him along. he was asking for input on how
to help his sister who was struggling. he was
asking for advice on how to be emotionally there
for her.
i know that the world is chock full of amazing
men. and that i know more than my share of them.
i know that hating men isn't gonna help me here.
i just feel soooo crazed inside.
and then last nite josh called. there had been
some police investigation stuff happening at his
work. he found out why. a lawyer who works in his
building was raped in the parking lot.
i was tucked in bed reading when he called.
i leaned against my pillow and just said 'oh noooooo.'
i closed my eyes and felt so bad.
is it power? is it because they can? is it such
a screwed up view of a sexual drive?
there will be bone sigh writing today. and working
on this project to make a donation site. there
will be tears and frustration. and somehow hope.
if this woman who is seeing all this first hand can
hang on to hope.....then i certainly will.
what an incredible whirl inside of me today.....
1 comment:
Terri, It is me . . . Patty . . . writing you from South Africa. I know this is hard stuff to read and digest. Somedays it is so far out of my grasp, I feel like I've been sucked into a black hole, but then the women and children give me a hand, pull me up, and once again I see light and hope and joy, yes . . . even joy!
They are so strong. It will be the women that will rise up and change this part of the world. They are beginning . . . they are beginning to say NO! . . . they are beginning to show their power in new ways. They are warriors and they are putting on their armor that will force this patriarchal society to step back and say . . . maybe it is time to change our views of women and children. Maybe we have lost our path from what the ancients intended. There are tribal traditions that are rich in purpose and steeped in honor and respect. Traditions that give them their own unique fingerprint. There are men here that aren't animals . . . they are men of integrity and dignity. I am sorry they are the minority in my opinion.
I have hope. I believe in my sisters! They are finding their way. We can all take part. As women, we must stand strong with them . . . together we can become a force for good. We have a voice. We can help! I can bear witness to their lives and then share it . . . shout it . . . talk and write about it. We can love and support each other. We are gathering momentum. We are going to make it . . . we are going to protect our children and our sisters and have the guts to stand up and say, "NO! this is wrong and I am willing to pay the price of turning you in to the police", and then I will watch like a hawk to see that the police do their job . . . and we will all be part of the change that the world will see. We will. We must.
Stand strong. Stand tall! We are mighty and we are sacred women. We are the power that will move the world to a higher vibration . . . one of peace and love. Don't give up hope. Together with linked arms, we are unstoppable. We will refuse anything less than victorious. Daily, I am learning and my wounded, beaten, and raped sisters and children have become my teachers. Through me and others, they are witnessing a dream for a better life . . . new hope . . . one of respect and proof that they are worthy of it all. AMEN.
With love on a hot, sunny day in S. Africa - Patricia Michael Melnice
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