Her story leapt off the page... the video cutting to the core of my being. No name...only that she was an Asian woman, aged 65, in a brutal attack. Asian American woman beaten in Manhattan outside luxury condo building, police said - The Washington Post I was stunned; still am! It was time to write on my blog again.
I have previously written that my husband and I tried to adopt a child from South Korea many years ago. To sit back and watch Asian Americans and others of Asian descent be victimized is very, very difficult. We continue to wonder about a child that might have been a part of our family. Why? Why, I ask myself again and again. What motivates people to act out in such brutal ways? What part of love one another do folks not understand?
Years ago, when our daughter was small, we enjoyed Family Nights. There was generally a theme and we often used a book called Just Family Nights to set up our weekly events.
I recall one "lesson" vividly, because I later used in in a Sunday School Class. It was around the time of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. I selected red, green and brown M&M's, placed them in a bowl, and each family member drew out a few to examine. On the outside, the candies looked very different, but on the inside each was the same. This image sticks in my mind as I think about the rich mix of our American culture. How simple the exercise; how complicated is today's response to those who are labeled "different; other." I like variety...
The name of the Asian woman may never be known ( if you know it please share in the comments below), but I am thinking of her...thinking of how she will heal, how will she trust again, how will she love again. Words from my mother come flooding back to me in this moment. She once said, "Either we all need to learn to get along, or we will kill each other off."
Join me in prayer for this woman; and for the man who attacked her. God knows who they are.
