Yes, I just went there....

Started off my day as usual. Work out, breakfast, coffee, emails etc. Life is so tragically easy sometimes.  I say tragic because I get caught in the unimportant details of life.  We all do it.  Its normal.  Getting back to what really matters doesnt happen often enough for anyone in my opinion. Our worlds are small.  I'm not saying life isnt hard or other peoples problems are harder than the next.  I've learned that hearing others stories and putting myself in a position that is selfless makes my "problems" incredibly easier to work through.

This morning as I planned for some home parties that I have coming up for be Lovely, I was looking at some human trafficking videos on youtube. I stumbled across one that gave a statistic that said, girls as young as 5 years old are bought for sex. I immediately thought of my niece and broke down in an aching, cant catch my breath kind of sob. It got personal real quick.  So many questions in my head. What if that was her? That could be her. What if I viewed all of these children being used for sexual slavery like my niece? I would change. What would others do if they thought of one kid in their life around that age too, would that change what they are doing to stop this sick injustice? I hope so.

I literally sat there with my face in my hands sobbing, knowing that kids like my niece and nephews are being sold as sex slaves and for child labor.  Kids that live by you and I....thats the reality.  Not just kids in  places that are far away so we dont have to look them in the face. Kids in almost every country in the world. Yes, in our cities.  Look that reality in the face. Try it. Does it change you? Does it change how you look at the kids in your life? Does it change your choices on taking action? It did for me.

I have been researching and fighting sexual slavery and human trafficking for about 6 or 7 years now.  Today when I made it that personal...it was different. I had thought about it before, but for a second I imagined in my mind the brutal, animalistic behavior being done to someone close to me.  I am changed again, even more because of it.  The children that this actually happens to is just like my beautiful, innocent niece. That makes my heart ache.  I looked that reality square in the face...stepped out of myself and my tragically easy life and chose to feel the suffering of those victims.

Ignorance is a choice. not wanting to know the truth is selfishness.  The way this issue is being fought by others may not be for you...there is no one way to fight this.  BUT is it "for you" to protect children that are being raped and beaten?  (yes, i just went there) I dont have all the answers on how each of us should fight this sick injustice but I do know that we should.  I am not perfect at it. I do lose focus. But my fight to choose to make my world bigger is something I will continue to work towards.

Where do you fit?

"To enjoy the journey is to leap into people's lives. To enjoy the journey is to give until the stretch is a sacrifice. The question always is: what is it in life that will pull you out of your seat to be brave, risk and serve?"

                                            my friend phylicia and I at a porn convention in Miami

This week I had the opportunity to go back a few years in my life and listen to Craig Gross speak again.  Craig is the founder of xxxchurch.com.  I had the opportunity a few years ago to work with him along with some others in LasVegas.  The stories of being in brothels, strip clubs and porn conventions came flooding back.  Thats where my passion took root and where my heart lies.  Later that day I had the opportunity to meet some people that worked in aftercare of women that have gotten out of sexual slavery. A day full of so many different ways people are involved. A question that was brought to my attention was "where do you fit in all this".  Its a question that I have asked myself for a while.
This is what I have learned about myself....
First, be Lovely has been one part of my passion for a while.  Being able to use the talents I have been given and offer a product that is used by most women (makeup) to bring awareness to something that I have personally seen the awful affects of.  So with be Lovely, comes awareness and empowerment. Both of which are much needed.
Another thing that is needed is aftercare.  When someone gets out of a life that has physically and emotionally enslaved them, they need that love, care and support of others to get back on their feet. This is where organizations like Breaking Free come in.  They are an amazing non profit that does just that. Helps victims get the support and resources they need to live out what they have been created for.
I want to stress that awareness and aftercare are two VERY important and needed steps in being apart of this fight against sexual slavery, and the need for individuals and organizations to work together to make that happen is a huge need.  There is one step that I havent talked about yet and I've realized that step is where I have the deepest connection.
For some reason, the need for justice is so deeply engrained in me that awareness isnt enough for me. I personally need to get my hands dirty in a way that touches the lives of the victims that are enslaved at the moment. Dont get me wrong, this isnt for everyone and I am fully aware of that.  Someone else raising awareness is how I found out about human trafficking and I will forever be grateful for the video "Constance" for that reason. There is a huge need to be apart of the womens lives that are in the strip clubs, brothels, on the streets.  When they are actually living this awful life...who is there to love them in those moments?  How will they know there is a way out unless there is trusting people that can show them how important, loved and worth it they are?  One who is in the environment that they have to be in every day. When I was in Vegas that is what we did....and since then I cant shake the intense urgency I have to do that again.  Putting myself in places like these are my next goal.  I'm not sure how yet but it aches my heart knowing that there are women and girls that dont think they are worth more, loved and supported as human beings.
Without ALL of those steps (awareness, loving during, and loving aftercare) it would create an even bigger battle for us all.  We all fit somewhere, we just have to find it and live it.