I'm grateful. Very grateful. I have a wonderful and loving family here in Tennessee. I have a job. Many friends. The beautiful Tennessee sunshine. Trees. I have a home. It's cute and I've had lots of fun decorating it. In writing my blog, I'm fulfilling on my life passion. In creating relationships within my community, especially those living with mental illness, I find great joy and peace. I feel that I have an opportunity to own ALL the parts of myself. Even those that I've had some shame about. Because I'm in my late 50's...I figure it's about time. In short, this Thanksgiving is very significant for me. I send a warm and loving Thanksgiving wish to all my friends and family....I wish for you the same sense of peace that I'm finding in my life.
However, I'm very aware that there is pain out there. And tomorrow, on Thanksgiving, I will be thinking about the human beings that I know who are struggling with mental illness. I will be thinking about people who are homeless in this country, and those in other countries living with poverty and war. I will be thinking about those families in our country struggling with the loss of a loved one due to unnecessary gun violence. I could go on and on, but you know where my mind is at. And I want to make a special mention of a particular family. I'm thinking about the family of Michael Brown. I can't understand the pain that you must be feeling. But, I'm a mother. I can understand the devastation of a loss like yours.
Here is my Thanksgiving wish....I'm praying that this country finally admits to and deals with racism. Michael was a son. He was a student with a future. He may have made a mistake. But there is nothing that he did that deserved the death penalty. And that's what happened. He was executed. There are many mothers who have a legitimate fear that their children will meet the same fate. Because mentally ill people have also been executed, I recognize that I'm also talking about my peers. But I can truly not understand the terror that black mothers must feel as they watch the way that Michael Brown has been vilified. It is my fervent prayer that this family is able to find justice. We cannot keep allowing our future to be killed because of racism. It's 2014. We need to address this.
Have a peaceful Thanksgiving.........
However, I'm very aware that there is pain out there. And tomorrow, on Thanksgiving, I will be thinking about the human beings that I know who are struggling with mental illness. I will be thinking about people who are homeless in this country, and those in other countries living with poverty and war. I will be thinking about those families in our country struggling with the loss of a loved one due to unnecessary gun violence. I could go on and on, but you know where my mind is at. And I want to make a special mention of a particular family. I'm thinking about the family of Michael Brown. I can't understand the pain that you must be feeling. But, I'm a mother. I can understand the devastation of a loss like yours.
Here is my Thanksgiving wish....I'm praying that this country finally admits to and deals with racism. Michael was a son. He was a student with a future. He may have made a mistake. But there is nothing that he did that deserved the death penalty. And that's what happened. He was executed. There are many mothers who have a legitimate fear that their children will meet the same fate. Because mentally ill people have also been executed, I recognize that I'm also talking about my peers. But I can truly not understand the terror that black mothers must feel as they watch the way that Michael Brown has been vilified. It is my fervent prayer that this family is able to find justice. We cannot keep allowing our future to be killed because of racism. It's 2014. We need to address this.
Have a peaceful Thanksgiving.........
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