02/21/2024
WORDS MATTER
Let me begin this post by stating—I purposely do not watch the news. I used to be a news j***y, but I found the constant diet of the most often negative was not good for my spiritual and physical health. Instead, I trust the Universe to bring to me that which I need to know. With that being said, my daughter brought to my attention the case of Lori Paige, the 12-year-old missing since June of 2023 from this city of Tallahassee. She has not been seen or heard from for eight (8) months, and it has only been through recent national media coverage that her case has come to the forefront.
After reviewing what the media has to say about Lori and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, I was left with more questions than answers. While there is dispute, according to Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) posts and some media accounts, this beautiful CHILD has gone missing before. Whether a CHILD leaves home on their own volition or not is of NO RELEVANCE. This brings me to the point of this now lengthy post.
After reading Lori’s account I started to scan TPD’s page and to my horror I saw at least five children I have taught or encountered in some way as an educator featured as missing. There was even one child, a former neighbor, who had come to my home to play with my grandchildren listed. Fortunately, all these children have been found. Seeing children I know “hit different.” It felt like family, and then I began to notice something. Most juveniles were listed as “missing/runaway.” While this might be true, I don’t think these CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE LISTED AS RUNAWAYS. THE FACT THAT A CHILD IS MISSING FROM THE PLACE THEY BELONG SHOULD BE HELD IN PROMINENCE. The word “runaway” diminishes how they are perceived, and with this view, possibly not the same energy given to search efforts for them. This is my opinion of course, but WORDS MATTER.
