Knowledge is Power
When I was growing up, my mom would always tell me: “If you can read, you can cook.” (And I learned to cook from watching her, and reading) She would also tell me, “If you can read you can grow up to become anything you set your mind to be.” These statements taught me that reading and being open to new ways of thinking could help me grow in all areas of my life. In 2016, after nineteen years in the insurance industry, I jumped head first into the non-profit world. I honestly had no idea what I was doing… I just knew I wanted to make a difference in the world and the insurance industry was not filling that desire. So I threw away the stable income, benefits, and the security of a job I liked, to take a leap to a job I love. (And I have no regrets!) I currently work for the non-profit, Southeast Nebraska CASA and we recruit and train volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children. When I first started working for CASA, I thought my main goal would be to help remove children from abusive homes or neglecting parents. However, as I learned about the program, I quickly learned that no case is ever the same. Each family is different, each child’s safety is unique to that child, and each story has a different ending. We train our volunteers to look at ALL sides of every case. They speak with the child, the family, the caseworker, the teachers, doctors, lawyers and anyone involved in that child’s life. They put the pieces together for that child…. and they cannot use their opinions about the family in their court report - only the facts of what they have learned while reading and listening to everyone involved in the case.
I have learned that sometimes what appears to be neglect, is really poverty. I have learned that many times families only know what they know because the cycle of abuse and neglect passes from generation to generation. So how do we help break that cycle? We learn about what causes it. We read, we learn about, support and recommend community services and honestly, I pray for these families. It is easy to cast judgement when you only know the story from your lens. (Trust me… I still have to check myself on this). But what if we allow ourselves to learn something new. Read an article from an author that might not think like you, listen to a podcast that makes you feel a little uncomfortable because it stretches you to see something from another side.
National CASA just started a book club, and we are currently reading the book Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi. Honestly, this is not the type of book I normally pick up… (And boy it is LONG)…. but I am so glad mom taught me to read and learn, as this book is already opening my eyes and I’m learning a side of history I never learned in school. (And trust me, some of this I am fact checking in awe that it really happened).
I have always said “Knowledge is Power” and this statement brings me back to when I was diagnosed with cancer. I always wanted to know the truth. I wanted to know facts, statistics, and a game plan. The statistics honestly sucked… (2-5 years to live)… but Dr. Avery looked me in the eye, reminded me that statistics are from historical data, and did not reflect my future…. so I looked for survivors. A quick Google search of Inflammatory Breast Cancer was ugly, so by shifting that Google search to Inflammatory Breast Cancer Survivors… I was introduced to a group on Facebook “Inflammatory Breast Cancer Support” and guess what… there are people who have survived with IBC for over 20 years! Those are the stories I needed to read…. so those are the stories I focused on. In this support group there are scary, sad stories, but the group encourages us all to “Hope Always”. So I read the recommended articles, the stories and I focused on living, instead of dwelling on the disease. I had to know the good, the bad and the ugly… but had to remember the only 100% Truth in my story was God, and His ultimate plan for me was good, no matter the outcome of the disease.
I think so many times it is easy to get caught up on social media or in our every day lives wanting to argue with one another to prove we are right. Instead, I plan to open myself up to learning. When someone says something I don’t necessarily understand or believe, instead of trying to plead my case of why I feel I’m right… I want to allow myself to learn their side of the story. I want to open my heart to someone who might need to vent about an injustice they feel. I know I needed to vent “WHY ME” when I was first diagnosed. And as I vented, I am blessed I received love and support instead of judgement. I want to give that love and support to the world. What might be clear to me, might look different to my neighbor. So I plan to open my heart to learn. I plan to love people who may look, think or act differently than me. I plan to listen to their stories and offer hope. To help and give a kind word of support to someone who needs it. Sometimes the only way knowledge can be powerful, is when you open your heart to listening to the whole story - and finding the joy in the knowledge that comes when you commit to becoming a life long learner.
Knowledge is power - Don’t ever stop learning :)
* If you are interested in the book Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi I encourage you to support your local bookstore. (I love my local bookstore Chapters in Seward)
* If you are interested in learning more about Southeast Nebraska CASA, please click here. Information on Nebraska CASA can be found here, and information on National CASA can be found here.
* If you are interested in learning more about the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Network Foundation, please click here