Every year on May 28th, I have to wake up and ask for the grace to forgive, and the strength to get through the day.
On May 28th, 2004 I became a rape victim. Today, May 28th, 2014, I am a survivor.
I don't know that I have every publicly written about this chapter of my life, but today I was inspired. I woke up to the news that one of my fellow survivors, Maya Angelou, had passed away. What a legacy she leaves us, what a hope her life has given so many people. She exemplified a life lived with forgiveness. She showed all of us how to turn adversity and tragedy into something extraordinarily beautiful.
Every year on this day I think of the other victims, and pray that they learn to forgive, and to live as survivors instead of victims.
You can't forgive without loving. And I don't mean sentimentality. I don't mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, 'I forgive. I'm finished with it.'
-Maya Angelou
No comments:
Post a Comment