My youngest daughter has one of the most beautiful hearts I know. She is so kind, loving and full of compassion for others. Her favorite thing to do is help the homeless and serve in assisted living facilities bringing joy to seniors without family. So when we recently walked through a horrific, devastating season in which she was sexually assaulted it shattered my heart and hers in multiple ways. I watched all the joy and life fade as she began to crawl within herself becoming very insecure, depressed and full of self-hatred and shame.
As she laid on my floor in a flood of tears one day I did all I could to remind my precious girl of the truth she needed to hear:
You ARE valuable, You DO matter, this is NOT your fault, you did NOT deserve this, you are NOT alone, no you will NOT remain silent….I promise we will make a difference with this pain.
Aniya is a constant, daily reminder of what Jesus would do in the face of unexpected, undeserving, unwarranted pain. As we walked through the aftermath of our grief and devastation, this is what my compassionate, brave girl decided to do…..she created our non-profit Love Speaks to help pour love into the dark places of other people’s pain.