Telling the Truth

connecting the dots of my life

Tag: Human Trafficking

August 13, 2018

Misformed and misinformed

Misformed and misinformed
She emerges from childhood
Before its wonders take root

Sheltered from life and herself
Dim vision narrows down
Lest warm rays of truth find her
Huddled in unsafe cellars
Waiting for life to begin
Before it ends

The poem is about me and it’s not only about me.

Yesterday I listened to No Place to Run, a radio rebroadcast of an investigative report into foster care in the USA. The report focused on two young women in Texas. Their stories were eerily similar. I’ve heard similar stories about foster care here in Pennsylvania.

Each young woman (one still a child) was placed in a foster care setting. Both ended up on the streets, abandoned by systems that failed them. And both were betrayed by a political machinery determined to avoid or ignore the need to fund competent, monitored, successful foster care.

I applaud foster care parents who put their hearts and their energy into caring for foster children. I also applaud lawyers, judges and politicians determined to make a difference now, not later, with systems that work for the benefit of foster children and young people.

At the end of the day, however, I wonder whether I’m ready for the full truth about this shadow world. Especially since I’m routinely horrified at the latest revelations, already dressed up for public consumption.

©Elouise Renich Fraser, 13 August 2018
Art found at http://www.revealnews.org

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January 13, 2017

Amsterdam – Street Scenes | Viking Cruise

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Busy! Sensory overload! Unplanned chaos. Tourist magnet. Not for all the right reasons, I’m sorry to say. This post is just a taste of what kept us awake the afternoon we arrived in Amsterdam. Our guide kept us moving, and we did our best to keep up with him.

The top photo captures the reality of modernity (big bold red public buses), and of time-honored tradition (bikes — the subject of my last Amsterdam post). Pedestrians beware!

Here’s what we saw when we left the cruise ship with our trusty guide.
What do you notice?

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I love the guys fishing on the pier
right in the middle of it all.

Our first landmark was a huge, modern transportation center.
I’m glad I didn’t have to figure out which way to go.
Note traffic lanes for various types of transportation
including pedestrians.

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Here we’re in the belly of the building.
Note directional signs.
Sorry you can’t hear the sound effects. Think noise. Lots of it.

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When we came out the other side,
we began our tour near the red light district.
Not a comforting sight.
Note the cathedral tower on the right side of the photo.
We’re looking at the back side of the district.

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The next three photos give a better perspective —
without so many people in the way.
Notice the water level that’s steadily rising,
sagging architecture and uneven walls on many old buildings,
boats ready for nighttime cruises by windows
that showcase women for commercial sex,
and the cathedral tower in the background.

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Here’s one last look at one of the buildings on the canal.
It’s visible in the first photo of the red light district.
You can see why it caught my eye.

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Wednesday of this week, January 11, was
*International Human Trafficking Awareness Day, a day to raise awareness
and honor those who offer alternatives to
women, children and men exploited for commercial sex.
I couldn’t help thinking about these photos.

Here we are, moving on behind our trusty guide.
Do you like my backpack?
Don’t miss the clutter of bikes just to our right
and the bikers ahead of us on the sidewalk.
Being a pedestrian isn’t for sissies!

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We’re headed to an area that draws hoards of tourists and shoppers.
Here’s a taste what’s coming in the next exciting installment.

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To be continued….

© Elouise Renich Fraser, 12 January 2017
Photo credit: DAFraser, Amsterdam, July 2016

*To find out more about human trafficking, click here.

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January 8, 2015

Dear Readers, | New Year Update

Dear Readers,
High time for a report!  All the pieces aren’t in place yet, but I have a direction.

No Facebook
Not for now.  I looked at several FB pages of bloggers and authors I follow.  They were wonderful.  Yet the more I looked at the time commitment and energy output needed from me, the less eager I became.  I feel relieved that for now, my energy goes into writing for the blog.

A Haiku Challenge
The challenge is to write one haiku a day.  Sounds easy, right?  Well, if all goes well, you’ll know each day whether I’ve done that.  If I don’t, you won’t see a thing.

Areas for Focused Writing 

  • Human trafficking.  How it intersects with my growth and journey as an adult in world that treats most of us as commodities.  This isn’t just a personal issue; it’s communal, national and global.  What does this look like in my life?
  • God.  How I think, speak and write about God.  I’ve never hated God.  On the other hand, there are areas of my life that don’t yet resonate with whatever it means to bear the image of God.  I’ve been working on this for several years now.  Time to start writing!
  • Spirituality.  It hasn’t been easy to articulate what it looks like for me, or why it’s so important for me to name it.  It’s easy to say I’m a follower of Jesus Christ.  But how do I talk about my interior and exterior life?  And what happens when I do?
  • Marriage.  When I traveled up the highway 150 miles to go to college, I met the man I would marry.  Forty-nine years and counting.  My traumatic childhood affected my ability to relate to any man, much less a husband.
  • Motherhood.  Not an easy role for me as a person or as a professional.  I’m especially interested in the ways my upbringing affected my ability to be a mother.  I won’t write about my children, but will focus on my own struggles.  Not an easy topic; I’ve sometimes been judged harshly in this area.

Just so you know, I’ve made a pact with myself to keep my posts not-too-lengthy, so you can expect manageable pieces from time to time.  All mixed in with other things I love to write about:  Diane; devotional writing that moves me; haiku and poetry; letters to Mom.  Who knows, I might even write another letter to Dad.  Probably to God, too.

If you’ve found me or I’ve found you, there’s a reason.  I want to live into that while I’m able.

With gratitude, respect, and expectation!
Elouise

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