Tonight I Cried

I think most of you who know me, know that I keep my writing pretty light. My husband calls me a dreamer at times with my head in the clouds. Ever the optimist. But every so often something touches at my heart and I just cry out at the injustice that exists in our fallen world. Tonight this video was such an example. It's the kind of movie that you don't want to watch, you want to pretend that this kind of abuse doesn't really happen, but it does.
Over the past 15 years that I've been involved in schools, I've gotten to know children whose only safe haven is the time they enter the school building until the time that they leave. I've known children whose lives are so twisted that the concept of just relaxing and enjoying a simple game of Simon Says is so foreign that they can't get that right. I remember one boy in particular, 5 years old, who was so angry because of the life he lived at home that most mornings we set up a cozy chair for him in the book area of the classroom, and let him hug a pillow. We coached him in anger management, because let's face it, you aren't going to learn your letters and numbers when you mind is so completely elsewhere.
I remember my first call to a social worker as a student teacher in Victoria, I was so nervous and so upset that my hands shook. The school counsellor led me through it every step of the way and gave me a big hug after. I was so upset, because child abuse is something you hear about in the news that you can turn off...when you are face to face with it with a child you know, it's an awakening. I still think about that little girl and wonder where she is now and pray that her life is better now at 17 than it was when she was 5.
Unfortunately, that first phone call was not to be my last, and dealing with social workers has become a regular occurance in my career. I wish it were not so. Perhaps though, we can each take some time to remember these childen and move to do something about it. Not just brush it aside and pretend that it doesn't exist, but work towards a change. Please take 5 minutes out of your day to watch this video. The more we can be aware of these little ones who suffer in silence, perhaps we can pevent another such tragedy.