Malinda Venting

Malinda Venting -- Heavy Heavy Heart!

Greater is HE that is within me than he that is in the world. The past two weeks have been filled with sorrow, yet God has seen fit to comfort, nurture, and keep me from exploding on myself.

My family has suffered two tragic deaths, both of which could have been avoided but happened because of what is going on in our world -- one death through absolute violence, murder in his home, and one through a drug overdose. Both were Black males (one was 18 and just turned 54 in November) with families that loved and cared for them.

Parents left to mourn the death of their children. Their children, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends are shaking their heads and asking why -- why did it happen, why didn't he get help, why didn't I do more, why, why, why? The pain and loss are not just confined to the immediate family but ripple out to the entire community, leaving a trail of grief and unanswered questions.

None of us have the answers, but we all know and witness these tragedies in our world. And the most tragic part is that some of us have become numb to them. This numbness is a tragedy in itself, as it means we are accepting this kind of chaos as normal and part of our lives.

Those good old days when parents were parenting, neighbors were parenting (you know, those nosey ones who told your momma everything you did, knowing you were going to reap the results), and yes, the schools were true in loco parentis, which means "in place of a parent," or "instead of a parent," are gone. Almost no one is raising the children, and we are reaping the results.
parents

Oh, wait a minute. Even those children who are being raised by their parents, guardians, neighbors, and friends are catching it because stray bullets only have the name(s) of the person(s) they hit on them. Good teachers are scared to be in schools, and if they are there, they are not allowed to do their best jobs because of the students, parents, administration, or LAWS! Schools and churches are no longer safe havens. They are targets.

As I grieve my nephew and young cousin, my heart knows that something has got to change, or these senseless kinds of deaths are only going to get worse. As my mother would probably say, "It is time to go back to some of those old-time ways that worked – discipline. Discipline is not a nasty word; it does not have to be abusive. There should be boundaries, and there should be consequences when those boundaries are ignored or broken.

As I write this, a slogan from the past comes to mind: "I am mad, and I am not going to take it anymore!" I think it is time for the adults to get mad and decide not to take it anymore. This slogan is a call to action, a declaration of our refusal to accept the current state of affairs. It's time to stand up, speak out, and say NO MORE DEAD CHILDREN!

Yes, you may share this with the hope we can start a movement to save our children.