Magic words
As I read the spiritual journeys that people share on the forum -- well, there are a lot of things I want to say.
I would never guess the hardships that some of us have been through. So nice are the people, so beautiful, so generous, kind, and giving that it is hard to reconcile the hard times they have gone through with the spectacular people they have become. And maybe even had become, not in spite of hard times, but because of.
I remember from years ago taking a class in Resilient Children. I remember that we were given a few descriptions of grim childhoods, and asked what chance did these children have and what could they possibly grow up to be?
Just from my memory, and please excuse me if it is flawed, here are two examples:
A little black girl grew up in a time and town where blacks were severely discriminated against. At the age of eight, she was brutally raped by her mother's boyfriend and had to be hospitalized. Later when her mother's brothers killed the man who hurt her, she thought she was responsible for the man's death. After this incident, she became mute. Later, she was pregnant at sixteen. Later she was a prostitute for awhile.
In another example, a little boy was born with syphillis inherited from his mother who was a prostitute -- I don't remember the rest, but it was very difficult.
This little black girl grew up to be Maya Angelou, writer, poet, actress, wise and beautiful human being.
The little boy grew up to be one of the world's greatest composers. I don't remember now which one. Maybe you know.
What all resilient children have is someone in their lives who believes in them. Maya Angelou's mother used to tell her: "You are really going to be somebody some day." Those words were fulfilled.
I don't remember the magic words in the composer's life.
What did someone say to you in your life that ennobled you?
And, if you cannot think of anything, what should someone have said to you?
Comments
I would have liked someone to have told me at an early age that there is no such thing as black and white when it comes to people. For most of my early years, growing up in apartheid South Africa, I was called black. So were most of my friends. Then I went to a school with people of all cultural groups and ethnic origin. There we had black and white. Eventually I began to understand that black and white were conditioned terms of convenience. Its much easier to put ourselves into the white box and the black box.
In all my travels I have never met a black person or white person. Instead I have been graced by the wondrous multi-cultural diversity of my human family that appear in different shades of brown.
I request that if we do see a reason to specify the ethnic origin of a person that we do so without the use of black and white.
I wish someone could have told me that all is well and that it's ok to trust life and live in openness.
Beloved Joyce, don't we all.
And Heaven Admin, from such ridiculousness that you were subjected to, a loving prince like you arose, and you love all.
I wish someone had told me that God created me perfect and that I didn't need to achieve anything in this world to be loved.
We have a little debate in our home... I am black, I am brown :-) The wonderful lady that chose to marry me known as Martha says she is black (with tongue in cheek and big smile on her lovely face) Sandra the eldest daughter insists she is not black but brown! :-) No room for brown people on ethnicity sheets :-) I usually choose not to say our origins not because of any shame but because I believe it creates further division. In Kenya, Martha's country of birth, their ID cards have their tribe printed on them and look what happened during the election violence in 2006/7
Gloria, I'm guessing your composer is Beethoven tho your remembered details might have gotten jostled along the way. Humans seem to have a need to categorize other humans in order to make a little place of solidity and safety to stand on. Us and them. God sometimes seems to think the "them" part doesn't exist. Well, I suppose we all have peculiar ideas.
I'm totaly agree with Paula:how nice and simple it would be!! But discover it is so from God Himself, even if after 50 strong years, I begin to think is really better.
pitta
The perspectives shared by everyone here help expand my thinking. Diversity is part of the life game. Why stump diversity with only two options? All the digits of diversity extend from the same hand.
I asked God, once, why He had not told me about all the things I have been recently leraning and that seem so wondrous, back when I was young and when it would have been so, so helpful. He said: "I did, Chuck, through many people and through many books and even My little animals. But you didn't hear Me. You only hear when you are ready."