A Woman's Work – Brooke Basically Blogging

I am a proud resident of Middletown, Delaware. August 27, 2017 will be our four year anniversary living in Delaware.  It does feel like home for us now.  This post isn’t about the details of the tragic events of last week in Middletown.  If you want to read the story Google it.

All I will mention is that I pray for law enforcement and first responders. My blue porch lights support  autism, the officers that sacrifice their lives on a daily basis and  their families.

This blog is about the world we live in today.  Sometimes we need reminders that tragedy can occur anywhere.  Last week was a wake up call for people to constantly pray.  We can’t just pray when trouble arises.  Even when it is a struggle we must always pray.

So pray for your wife, even when you are fighting. Pray for your children even when they are being bratty and ungrateful.  Pray daily before you go to work. Pray daily before you send your children off to school.   Pray for others.

Mental illness and heroine addiction plague our nation.  Mental illness can no longer be viewed as a stigma in the black community.  Recent actions of black males, that were mentally ill took away innocent lives. This needs to be addressed.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to know the signs of mental illness and get your loved ones help and save the judgmental comments.

But it goes deeper.  The heroine addiction is sad to witness. We need to pray for those that are struggling with addiction. Think about their children that are witnessing and living in this hell.  We can no longer enable those we love with addiction.  We need to pray.

Last week in Middletown, schools were on lockdown and neighborhoods are still struggling to find peace and move on.  I began to think about families in the inner cities. They live next door to boarded up and burned down homes. They listen to the sounds of gun shots on a daily basis. Praying that the bullets don’t enter their homes.  They witness drive by shootings.  For them this is their norm, not by choice.

Middletown, Delaware is a wonderful community. Everyone knows everyone. I’ve noticed that people are speaking more and smiling more at each other after last weeks events. People are coming together to pray, talk and offer support.

Our community will continue to stand together and pray in advance! I know that everyone has to process the events of last week differently.  The tragedy is not about me. It is about the widow and her five year old daughter that will miss her daddy. It is about a family that turned in their own son and is now homeless. It is about every officer and their family and the power of prayer.

Harrison told me that as soon as they were on lockdown.  He began to pray. He prayed for Sydney and was concerned  about me at my school. I am proud that he knew to pray!!!! Always pray!

So what can we do?  How do we move forward?  We must start by respecting human life and respect law enforcement. We must raise our children to value life and know the dangers of guns. We need to talk about drug addiction with our children. We must teach our children how to pray.  Pray without ceasing.