I wish I had a happy story for where I’ve been for the past week. I wish it had a happy ending. It doesn’t, but it is important that I share this experience.
I received a call last Thursday night that my nephew had been killed. He was only 4 years old. He was staying with his biological father and his family and should have been protected. Instead, the story ends tragically. Child abuse happens more than we want to think about, but if you don’t know it is happening, it makes it even worse. There has been an arrest and the person is still in custody.
I traveled four states to get to my sister and help her make arrangements for my nephew. I just can’t stop my head from spinning. How do you ever wrap your head around the fact that someone who was supposed to protect and love a child murdered them instead. I don’t get it. I may never understand.
I’m not going to get into any details, because (one) I don’t know all of the details yet and (two) there will be a trial and I don’t want to speculate. I guess the third reason would be to protect the memory of my sweet, loving four year old nephew. It just hurts my heart and my head when I think about it.
This has reminded me that all life is precious and remember to hold on tight to those you love and tell them often how much they mean to you.
I’m sure I will be writing more about this in the near future, but I wanted to let you know where I’ve been and what I’ve been dealing with this past week.
**If you know of someone that needs help, please call The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. Serving the United States, its territories, and Canada, the Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who, through interpreters, can provide assistance in 170 languages. The Hotline offers crisis intervention, information, literature, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. All calls are anonymous and confidential.
