#1 Because I Am Blessed

25 Reasons Why I’m Going Silent on April 25

NOTE: My hope is to, over the next 25 days, share with you some of the reasons I feel moved to support Invisible Children in their “25” campaign. On April 25, for 25 hours thousands of people around the world are committing to be silent in an effort to bring awareness to their cause—stopping the 25-year war against Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army (or “LRA”—a force that rapes and destroys villages; abducts, tortures and trains children to be murderous soldiers in their force; and has left a wake of terror and trauma wherever they go). Second, I am committing to help raise funds for Invisible Children’s Protection Plan, which will help bring rehabilitation to those who have escaped from the LRA. If you would like to find out more about Invisible Children and the “25” campaign, go to www.invisiblechildren.com. You can CLICK HERE to go to my fundraising page.

I am blessed.

I am blessed to have been raised in and live and in Petaluma.

I am blessed to enjoy the commute to and from Santa Rosa.

I am blessed to smile at the view of the valley as I coast south down the Cotati grade on Highway 101—and the two trees that sit just next to the highway encouraging me on to my hometown.

I am blessed to have experienced weeks and weeks of pouring rain that contributed to the governor officially stating that the drought in California is over.

I am blessed by the sunshine at the end of that onslaught of rain.

I am blessed to know a God who redeems the broken and bruised.

I am blessed to be able to rent a two-bedroom apartment with my husband.

I am blessed to sleep in a bed every night—and blessed to sleep without realistic fear of being attacked, raped or murdered.

I am blessed to have received a pretty good education—in fact, I’m blessed to have received any education at all.

I am blessed to have celebrated my dad’s 65th birthday with him this last week.

I am blessed to have relationships with my mom, my dad, my two sisters, my brother, my in-laws, my 11 nieces and nephews, my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

I am blessed to own a car and have a job.

I am blessed to have running water and electricity inside my home.

I am blessed because I have never worried that my neighbor, my friend, my family or myself would be abducted by the LRA. In fact, I have never personally known a single person who has had any direct contact with the LRA.

Because I am so blessed, I will speak out in silence on April 25, so that other lives can be blessed.