In the past, my entries have always revolved around funny anecdotes of common college experiences. They are humorous, ridiculous, and sometimes crazy. This is the type of writing that I love. I love making people laugh so hard they fall out of their chairs and I love it when people relate to what I’m saying. My life is a joyous one and I love spreading that joy around.
Today, however, my entry is far from being funny or happy. Today, while I write about a subject affecting everyone young and old, the story is tragic and hard to hear. Still, I find great healing in writing and hope to touch all of your hearts with some sorrowful food for thought. So, for those of you looking for the jump start to your day that I am usually able to give, read no further. But, for those of you who read on, I hope the story I tell makes you reflect upon your own life as I have reflected upon mine.
Early this morning, my roommate awoke me with the television blaring. When I normally would have been annoyed, I found myself in shock. There, on the bottom of the TV screen, was this headline: Newborn body found dead on [college] campus. The name of my school glared at me from the bright lights. I couldn’t speak.
When I finally found my voice, I looked at my roommate. “How could this happen?” I asked her. She shrugged, her face as distraught as my own. We flipped through the channels and news station after news station gave us the facts. In the early hours of the morning, a student had called 911 reporting finding the body of a newborn baby in the trash. Police swarmed the dormitory and news teams camped out around the campus. Every picture displayed on the screen was familiar to us, places on campus that we frequented and loved. It all seemed so unreal.
As the day went on, rumors flew rampant. Students and teachers alike chattered about every last detail. People from all over the area called in and wrote blog articles on news websites about the sanctity of life and the area’s law about giving babies over to proper officials without being prosecuted. Nobody seemed to give a thought to the hell this young lady has to be going through and had to be going through for some time before this. Nobody seemed to care that she must be so troubled to go through something like this. And me, I just wanted to give her a hug. I just wanted to let her know that we are here for her, that we are praying for her, and that we want to help in any way possible.
I am not writing this to say that I am better than everyone else because I didn’t immediately judge the young woman. I have often found myself judging people without cause. I am writing this to raise awareness; I want everyone to be aware of the effect their words can have. We are so quick to find fault in others without putting ourselves in their shoes. Few of us understand the pain this young woman experienced, the pressure she was under and the fear she must have felt having this baby on her own. However, all of us understand the anguish of rumors and the agony of being faced with the harsh consequences of our actions. At times when one innocent child is dead and another child (because 19 is still a child) is going through pure torture because of this death, we must hang on to this common thread.
Sorrow is a time of support and joining together in healing. Though we may not understand and agree with the choice this young woman made, we all see the ache she must have felt: the torment and terror she must have experienced and is still experiencing at this very moment. So we must pray; we must pray for the young mother, for her infant child, and for all those affected by this tragic death. We must pray for each other that we are able to give our unending support to the person(s) hurting so much more than we are. We must take heart in the fact that this baby is in a better place. Mostly, we must withhold our judgment and reach out with outstretched arms to comfort this panicked and troubled young woman. Only through shutting our minds to bitter attacking can we heal our hearts as a community.
Today, however, my entry is far from being funny or happy. Today, while I write about a subject affecting everyone young and old, the story is tragic and hard to hear. Still, I find great healing in writing and hope to touch all of your hearts with some sorrowful food for thought. So, for those of you looking for the jump start to your day that I am usually able to give, read no further. But, for those of you who read on, I hope the story I tell makes you reflect upon your own life as I have reflected upon mine.
Early this morning, my roommate awoke me with the television blaring. When I normally would have been annoyed, I found myself in shock. There, on the bottom of the TV screen, was this headline: Newborn body found dead on [college] campus. The name of my school glared at me from the bright lights. I couldn’t speak.
When I finally found my voice, I looked at my roommate. “How could this happen?” I asked her. She shrugged, her face as distraught as my own. We flipped through the channels and news station after news station gave us the facts. In the early hours of the morning, a student had called 911 reporting finding the body of a newborn baby in the trash. Police swarmed the dormitory and news teams camped out around the campus. Every picture displayed on the screen was familiar to us, places on campus that we frequented and loved. It all seemed so unreal.
As the day went on, rumors flew rampant. Students and teachers alike chattered about every last detail. People from all over the area called in and wrote blog articles on news websites about the sanctity of life and the area’s law about giving babies over to proper officials without being prosecuted. Nobody seemed to give a thought to the hell this young lady has to be going through and had to be going through for some time before this. Nobody seemed to care that she must be so troubled to go through something like this. And me, I just wanted to give her a hug. I just wanted to let her know that we are here for her, that we are praying for her, and that we want to help in any way possible.
I am not writing this to say that I am better than everyone else because I didn’t immediately judge the young woman. I have often found myself judging people without cause. I am writing this to raise awareness; I want everyone to be aware of the effect their words can have. We are so quick to find fault in others without putting ourselves in their shoes. Few of us understand the pain this young woman experienced, the pressure she was under and the fear she must have felt having this baby on her own. However, all of us understand the anguish of rumors and the agony of being faced with the harsh consequences of our actions. At times when one innocent child is dead and another child (because 19 is still a child) is going through pure torture because of this death, we must hang on to this common thread.
Sorrow is a time of support and joining together in healing. Though we may not understand and agree with the choice this young woman made, we all see the ache she must have felt: the torment and terror she must have experienced and is still experiencing at this very moment. So we must pray; we must pray for the young mother, for her infant child, and for all those affected by this tragic death. We must pray for each other that we are able to give our unending support to the person(s) hurting so much more than we are. We must take heart in the fact that this baby is in a better place. Mostly, we must withhold our judgment and reach out with outstretched arms to comfort this panicked and troubled young woman. Only through shutting our minds to bitter attacking can we heal our hearts as a community.
