''Nuff said. (this image doesn't belong to me)
This post is not about me nor is it about my walk with God and what He's doing in my life. I say that because my blog is just that: a place where I can share what God has been doing in my life and what I feel He's saying to me. But this post is going to stray from that and who knows? Maybe God DID put this post on my heart for a reason. We'll see.
I'm sure you all have heard about the beheading of American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff.
For a few weeks now I've been immersed in articles on both Foley and Sotloff, wanting to know who they were, what they did, what they were like, etc, etc. Why would I take the time to get to know these two brave men? Because I believe that what they did, and what they both accomplished in their young lives, are of value and they are NOT just a name you hear on the TV as you read the paper or play Spider Solitaire or whatever else you do. They were people, they both had amazing careers, they had families, they had friends, and above all, they were both loved.
Many of us, myself included, don't take the time to get to know the people who bring us the big stories from countries of conflict, extreme weather [Hurricane Katrina, Asian tsunami, etc, etc], earthquakes, floods, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. They are just names, faceless, even. How many of us remember Daniel Pearl, an American journalist with the Wall Street Journal who was beheaded by al-Qaeda back in 2002? I read his wife's book, A Mighty Heart, and it was really interesting [albeit heartbreaking because you knew how the story would end].
Another one would be American television journalist, Bob Woodruff, who was in a convoy that got hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2006. Thankfully, he survived and he's still doing his thing today. He was one of the blessed ones. Others, like those above, were not so lucky.
That's why I'm wanting to start a movement on social media in thanking those reporters and journalists for all that they do, for all that they see, in order to bring us the stories that need to be told. Reading about both Foley and Sotloff opened my eyes to the dangers that they, as well as others like them, face on a somewhat daily basis. They didn't have to be there, nobody forced them to go, and they both went on their own accord simply because they both believed in what they did and they cared enough about people around them to go and tell their stories. They knew the risks...and they went anyway.
Who is with me? Who wants to stand with me and thank those fearless journalists and reporters for doing what they do, for risking their very lives in order to bring us the news from around the world that we should know about?
Use the hashtags, #ThankYouJournalists and #ThankYouReporters, on social media sites to get the word out and give back to James Foley and Steven Sotloff as well as those who died before them, for those journalists and reporters who risk their lives consistently and without fear like Anderson Cooper, for those journalists and reporters who got hurt in the 'line of duty' like Bob Woodruff, and also for those journalists and reporters who are still in school wanting to be the next Anderson Cooper or James Foley or Steven Sotloff or even the next Bob Woodruff [and why not? These guys are all amazing].
Oh, and it's not just for the American reporters and journalists. I'm sure there are MANY others from many different countries who risk their lives doing what they do.
Thank you guys for ALL that you do! It can't be easy all the time and so I just wanted to give you guys credit. You guys rock and I'm here giving you ALL a round of applause [I sure hope you can hear it from heaven, Steven, Daniel, and James, as well as many others who unfortunately passed on]!
We love you!
#ThankYouJournalists #ThankYouReporters
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