What Hurts the Most

Over 10 people died yesterday in a wildfire in California. People are just now realizing the extent of Harvey Weinstein's sexual abuses. It's domestic violence awareness month and my friend Elaine found out on Monday her best friend was being abused by her spouse and had to seek shelter. Neo-nazis returned to Charlottesville one month after killing an innocent woman. 

It's been a lot. 

But this latest event hit hardest and for some reason haunted me more than the rest. 

Maybe it's because she was only 3. 

Maybe it's because her father KNEW there were sketchy, kidnapper-esque men in the alley near where he threw her at 3am in the morning. 

Maybe it's because I suspect he sold his daughter to those men and is just claiming he set her outside as punishment. 

Maybe because it's been several days now and people have already stopped looking. 

Maybe it's because it's just too easy for someone so helpless and young to be lost to this world for senseless reasons. 

Maybe it's the thought of the men who kidnapped her harming her and preying upon her before likely disposing of her. The "how" in terms of trying to fathom that kind of depravity in fellow human beings. 

It's too much innocence lost. 

This morning I realized why it bothered me so much. 

She was my sister. 

She was your sister.

She is God's child.

She's everyone's daughter. 

She had belonging with all of us and was for all of us to look after. 

She was a child. 

I prayed hard -as i know many other souls out there are doing. 

And yet that's all most people can do. 

There's something so painful about the incurability of a disease that takes the lives of children this swiftly with next to no solution left to be found. 

We have to do better by children. 

This can't be who we are as a people. We have to do better at looking after the most vulnerable. They can't be lost to the world this easily and this often.