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We've Got to Begin Somewhere

This month, I’m taking the NaBloPoMo Challenge.  The challenge is to write every day for the month of January in your personal blog, which is a great exercise for me as someone who’s new to personal blogging.  Each day writing prompts are provided, and you post something in your blog.
Today’s prompt is: What is the hardest part about a beginning?  As the reigning queen of procrastination, my first inkling is to write a post long enough to rival War and Peace…tomorrow, of course.
Today’s local newspaper featured an article about Milwaukee’s fifth homicide in the first five days of the year. 5 people in 5 days: that’s one family per day suddenly, violently losing someone they love.  Today’s casualty was a sixteen year old boy.  I looked at his picture and my stomach churned, because I thought of how horrific it will be for his family and his friends to see him lifeless on the day of the funeral.  I don’t know whether he had history of problems, trouble at home or school; all I know is that his picture showed a chubby-faced kid who wouldn’t get the chance to “fill out” during his twenties.
Judging by some of the article’s reader comments, some people believe this tragedy is The Old – just the norm that happens everyday in “the hood.” Try and tell this young man’s family that.
So as the idea of “…the hardest part about a beginning” ping-pongs around in my mind, I can’t help but wonder – especially as a mom – Where do we begin, how do we begin to help these kids understand that a life is worth so much more than Facebook barbs or high school romances (supposedly at the root of the incident)?
As a community, as individuals, we can’t let beginning something be so hard that we do nothing at all.
I have no idea about what needs to happen or where to even start.  Do you think these kids can be helped, and if so, how do you think they can be helped? Or is this a parental, school, church, nonprofit or "other" issue?
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Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 6, 2012 at 6:33 AM

    i think about this too rochelle.....

    could it be.....

    education which encompasses all of the above.....home, school, community, church?

    education which brings options......a way out.....a hope.....something to hang onto?

    keep writing rochelle.....hmmm, i wonder what she'll blog about today?

    vm

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mike CollinsJanuary 6, 2012 at 9:50 AM

    I fret about this subject too, but haven't a clue what to do about it. It is sad.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rochelle FritschJanuary 6, 2012 at 12:17 PM

    It is sad and scary, Mike. But I think "vm" may have it upon something which is at the root of it -- at least I think so: a lack of hope. If people are hopeless, they don't have anything to lose, so risky behavior doesn't seem risky to them at all...

    Now, if we could only figure out how to give people hope.

    Thanks for reading, you two. :)

    ReplyDelete

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