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.