Dear State of Alabama Legislators,
I am a rule follower.
I have never been arrested. I have never had a speeding ticket.
I am a rule follower.
Careful is the best way to describe how I act and react to most situations. This all changed yesterday.
I began to notice the difference between “careful” and “courageous” in the leaders we all hold in high regard.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not a careful man. All of his movements were strategically planned and discussed with those whose values he held to be wise. With the information he needed, and the drive for justice he held dear, he courageously ventured out into a dangerous world. He was not careful. He was courageous.
Mother Teresa was not a careful woman. She moved so powerfully into the world of poverty that we all now know her name and respect her work. With God as her guide and her own sense of justice, she courageously marched against the cycle of poverty. She was not careful. She was courageous.
Mahatma Gandhi was not a careful man. Through non-violence, he moved powerfully against injustice. He used his own body through fasting to demonstrate his opinion of justice for his people and religious harmony. Gandhi was not careful. He was courageous.
Whether you agree with these people and their opinions or not, you have to admit their commitment to justice and peace was admirable. Why is it these people found a way through the noise into our common history?
I believe it was their drive to improve the quality of life for all who found themselves in a place of injustice. They were not fearless. They were courageous. They were not careful. They were wise.
I am a rule follower. I am careful. However, I have a son who needs his mother to stop being so careful and to start being courageous.
I ask you to do the same. Do not let your fears lead you into a place of commonplace. Allow your inner courage to find a home in the power the people of Alabama have placed upon your shoulders.
My son no longer needs you to be careful. He needs you to be wise. He needs you to seek justice. He needs you to be courageous!
Approve the original Leni’s Law without amendment. Allow my son to be a part of “justice for all” with his debilitating conditions. Please, do not force our family to move away from parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and friends because he is unable to get the care he needs in the State of Alabama. Please. Do not force us to move to a new state without even knowing if this medical therapy will work for our child. Please, fight for justice for our son and the many other sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters in the State of Alabama.
The time has come to stop being careful. The time has come to be courageous.
Except the things we can not change and the WISDOM to know the difference. The families of these children have the wisdom. The state of Alabama have a responsibility to EDUCATE THEMSELVES.This is a need so important to our children’s life and the Quality of their life.
Well stated, Autumn, although this legislature appears to be more on the careful side than courageous, both with Leni’s Law and the underfunding of Medicaid in the state of Alabama. I think they care less about the health of the citizens they represent, and more about their re-election campaigns and prison space. I pray that wiser heads will prevail.
This is so true. I agree completely. I know several children who could be dramatically helped. The will have a chance at a better quality of life and may be more able to function in society with treatment. Do what’s right – Pass the law in it’s entirety without amendment.
Thank you, Nathan. We need more people to stand up for what is good and right. No more is the time for fear…now is the time for courage!