Today, was one of the most important days since the founding of One Million Acts Of Kindness. The culmination of 7 months of riding The Kindness Bicycle all across this great country, to raise awareness about Domestic Violence and Childhood Sexual Abuse. Today was the shortest ride of The Kindness Bus Tour to date, but one of the most fulfilling. Seven months of stories, of memories, of faces, of tears, and the people to whom they belonged. The most shocking of all the stories was on the morning of the first day, it was as if I was being told how horrific these issues are and to be prepared for what was to come. Because of not being affected as a child by these issues, it was as if I had a certain naiveté  . Boy did I get a crash course in a hurry.
I initially did this ride for the women and children directly affected, but found out almost immediately that everyone is affected. The families of the victims were so appreciative to me and it helped knowing that someone was out there fighting for this cause in such a unique way. Those who work day to day helping others in seemingly helpless situations were thrilled to see The Kindness Bicycle roll through their town, as it offered hope, knowing that they aren’t alone in this fight.
The most rewarding part of this ride were the healing conversations I had with survivors. Hearing them talk so courageously and knowing there was no shame in what has happened to them, helped them get to a place of forgiveness, so they could begin to heal.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 11:49 am and is filed under Kindness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.