Recently there was an article on CNN about women in Saudi Arabia who have started a social media campaign in an attempt to get the Male Guardianship law revoked.
Many of us look at the situation of women in Saudi Arabia and think how fortunate we are to live in the US where we have more freedom, where women have been an integral part of building our country, where we have fought so hard for our rights.
So I will stand with the women of Saudi Arabia who are struggling to have their voices heard, just as so many women in my country have struggled in the past. I will hope that they find their way to freedom.
It has been fifteen years since the attacks of 9/11. We have launched a war on terror, been through a Great Recession, seen uprisings in the Middle East with millions of desperate people being forced from their homes by violence on a massive scale, and headlines that resonate with hate speech from one of our candidates for president, or the greed of bank employees.
So on this day I want to remember the extraordinary men and women who gave of themselves to help others, who showed us the good that exists within the human spirit, if it is allowed to fly free. Without people like you we would be nothing.
If you are from Minnesota you know
Jacob. Twenty seven years ago Jacob Wetterling, his brother Trevor,
and his friend Aaron, were riding their bikes home after visiting a
convenience store to rent a movie. That was the last time Jacob was
seen alive. He was abducted by a masked man at gunpoint. For twenty
seven years Jacob's family have lived in a hell of somebody else's
making. This past week because of a tip from “a person of
interest” Jacob's remains were found, just thirty miles from his
parent's home. It has brought closure, yes, but it has also opened a
wound again to fresh grief.
Because of the selfishness of another
this boy will not live to be a man, raise a family, or enjoy a life
of possibilities. But, while his time on this earth was short, his
life had a meaning that will live beyond him. Because of the
circumstances of his disappearance, and the dedication of his
parents, we now have laws put in place to register sex offenders.
This at least gives people a heads up that there may be a greater
risk to their children than there normally would be. It also raised
awareness of the issue of missing children.
Jacob, your light will never die.
***
A few weeks ago there was a story out
of Syria about a boy. He was pulled from the rubble of a destroyed
building. His picture was splashed across mainstream and social
media. We saw him sitting dazed and still with the dust of his home
sprinkled in his hair. A sad testimony to the failings of adults to
protect and nurture the best hope of our future.
So why am I talking about two seemingly
diverse stories?
Unfortunately, bad things happen to
good people. It is what we do with those experiences, as bad as they
are, that will determine who we become.
