“The laws that govern the light from a firefly in our backyard also govern the light emitted from an exploding star one billion light-years away.”
Childhood and the light we see from stars, the sun and moon, and fireflies share a lot. “Both are on voyages across huge distances. Both search for facts beyond their grasp. Both theorize wildly and let possibilities multiply without limits. Both are humbled every few weeks. Both operate out of ignorance. Both are mystified by time. Both are forever starting out.”
That idea comes from Richard Powers’ Bewilderment. Readers follow a story about a widowed father and his special ten-year-old son.
Powers invites us to look closely at what is fragile, beautiful, and too easily overlooked after the loss of his wife, and the risk of losing his son.
It’s an idea that asks us to see the universe beyond just our world.
It reminds us that the smallest lights are not small at all and have big potential and wildly amazing energy.
The kind of energy we hear from a child’s laugh, the random questions asked from the backseat, see in a drawing stuck on the fridge door, and feel from a hand reaching out for safety in a crowded place.
These are no small things. They are extraordinary evidence of whole new worlds forming. Of bonds and relationships being built and rebuilt.
Child abuse prevention asks the same of all of us. It asks us to notice, listen, believe, and protect every child, even if they’re not in “our world”.
This summer, remember the children in and around your life, including the friends your kids chat with online, at camp, or maybe at their first job.
- Talk to your kids about their friends.
- Ask if anyone seems to be having a hard time in their life.
- Ask if they’re having a hard time. Sometimes asking pointed questions reveals pointed replies.
- Remind them and yourself to always tell them you’re proud, that you love them, and you’d deliver the moon for them while you still can.
Like so many chances in life, how we got here is no small feat.
Tomorrow is never guaranteed. Place changes nothing.
Like the laws that govern stars and light in every corner of the universe, time and place are no barrier to risks or scary things. But guard against them we must.
Every child carries a light that deserves to be guarded. When abuse threatens that light, our response must be steady, compassionate, and worthy of the child’s courage. Sylvia’s Child Advocacy Center exists in Boone County to bring safety, support, and healing to children and families in moments when they need it most.
The well-being of one child matters beyond measure.
When you support Sylvia’s CAC, you help show children their light can shine through some of the darkest moments. You help families find hope. And we affirm a simple truth together: that no child’s pain should go unseen, and no child’s light should be left alone in the dark.
“That’s as big a truth as we Earthlings have discovered, or ever will, in our brief run.”
Help children shine.
Your generosity supports Sylvia’s CAC and the Boone County children who need protection, advocacy, and hope as part of our campaign to raise $60,000 by the end of this year for ongoing capital costs, training, and support services.
Donate now