It’s been a while. A really, long, long while actually – since I’ve unfolded out of a cartwheel. Ten years ago or so in college I realized my days of cartwheeling were over, when I ended up flat on my back with a splitting headache.
But yesterday made me a twelve year old believer again.
In Cartwheels….
I’m in an all day meeting with my new job. We’re listening to someone from the County Sheriff’s office tell us about the social issues kids are facing in school. Bullying, cyber bullying, harassment, degragation, among a dirty laundry list of other negative issues.
It broke my heart, with a million pieces spilling out of the rims of my tear-filled eyes. Now, let me preface this with the fact that I spent – oh – about 10 hours Friday and Saturday, while on my Steroid shot thrill ride, doing some designs for a “bullying” specific presentation. In our office, it’s been a topic that we’ve discussed at length, analyzed, and chewed on. I’ve heard it all, or so I thought.
I don’t remember his name, but Mr. Law Enforcer Man shared with us a startling truth that made me sit up in my seat, lean my ear in, and place my thumb nail bitterly between my teeth. I was all in.
If someone harasses you verbally, or in person slanders or defames you with their mouth, with their words or actions, you can “Call the Po-Po, Ho” cause they gone’ ta jail!
But catch this! If someone harasses you with a text message, an email or a social media venue – there is nothing the Po-Po can do. Nothing! NADA! Zilch. Zippo. NixoN.
The reason given: because our local judicial system dismisses the act of electronic harassment, because you cannot prove the person on the harassing end was actually the owner of the device. Oh, and further more, the cyber harassment law that was passed in Alabama last year, yeah, it’s not public yet, and it could take up to 10 years for the public to actually see it.
Really? Yes. Really.
These things I don’t understand just yet. But I will.
The indecent act of cyber bullying itself did not actually raise me to my feet initially, but hearing that the act of cyberbullying has NO judicial consequence – absolutely raised me on my toes, put a megaphone in my hand, and tuned my GPS to the white house door steps…cause Baby, something has to be done!
Nothing grips my heart more than INJUSTICE!
Don’t tell me something just “can’t” be done. Don’t tell me it’s impossible. Because I AM A BELIEVER. I believe in impossibilities. I believe in uncovering injustice, and “making paths straight!” I believe that with God all things are possible.
So, I’m on a new mission. There must be an answer for the increasing amount of bullying among our youth in America. Jesus is our ever present answer.
Tonight I stumbled onto A21 Campaign, an awesome movement to stop human trafficking – an injustice close to my heart.
Evil triumps…when GOOD MEN do NOTHING.
After Mr. Law Enforcer man left. We took a break and I’m sipping my coffee when I realize that for the first time in a really long time, I have that feeling inside me again. Like an excitement of a new passion being birthed. I’m no longer 31, sitting in an exquisite river front ‘chalet’ in our professional business meeting, with a room full of very smart people. I’m twelve years old, and I have to do everything in my power to grip to my coffee cup, and hold myself back from doing a cartwheel across that red European rug.
…because I’m a BELIEVER.
And that’s what believers do.
We do Cartwheels.