That’s Bill Pelke, my friend of more than a decade, talking about Paula Cooper. Cooper was freed from prison today after serving twenty-seven years for the murder of Pelke’s grandmother, Ruth.
For decades, Pelke has been a tireless advocate of restorative justice and opponent of the death penalty; he’s one of the most effective public speakers on these important topics and one of the all-around best people I know.
It’s Bill’s story I tell whenever someone informs me that I’d feel differently about the death penalty if one of my family members was a victim of violence. I always say, “Perhaps. But I hope I’d be more like Bill Pelke …”
I’m thinking of Bill and his family today.
More: Woman sentenced to death at 16 befriends victim’s grandson
(via kohenari)
Do you remember when Carrie said “I used to buy vogue sometimes instead of dinner. It fed me more” … Well I have that same relationship with sleep and reading. It’s now 3am and I’m just getting into bed because I absolutely HAD to reread a section of A Thousand Splendid Suns. Khaled Hosseini is a phenomenal writer who can rip your heart open & sew it back up by the time his words are through. His stories break me & then build me up even higher than I was before, because I now have the courage and hope which shined through his characters. Laila & Hassan have been my favorite characters thus far & I cannot wait to read his third novel this summer. ❤
I wasn’t paying attention…
i didn’t know you existed ,
until you showed me,
me
and now of course,
you are everywhere;
i see…
its not that you’re so special.
its that I’ve made you this special,
to me.
its a lot to keep up with.
so,
stop paying attention.
please.
The utter despair of knowing that his smile was more beautiful than his heart, & despite your best attempts you still cannot brush him aside.
Brain Blurt
A deep disturbance that everyone you meet will be the same as the last. Some people will let you down, put themselves above you, and inherently leave your life, however, it’s all for the better. To be in your life is a privilege and anyone who doesn’t see that has no right to step foot into yours.
So once again, there is only a need to remember that not everyone is going to let you down, and not everyone is going to take advantage of you. There are good natured people, and you will eventually find a person who not only understands what you are going through but also how difficult it was for you to open up again after being let down many times before. & it doesn’t have to be your boyfriend or your girlfriend, but rather the friends you surround yourself with and the family you keep.
Do not be afraid to cut anyone out of your life that refuses to reach out to you or let you know of how great you are and how amazing you can become. As for the disturbance of meeting someone the same as the last, forget about it. No two people are the same, and different lessons will be learned in each relationship.
XO
