Wounds Still Open

She sat with us and told us about her life. Ribka is about 23 years old and started by telling us about the attack on her village during the years of conflict. She stated that she and her family fled from their village and ran to the jungle where they lived for five months. She spoke of the struggle of eating only what they could find--roots and occasional fruit. It was a difficult time and just full of suffering.

It reminded me that the wounds of the struggle are still open. She didn't start her story at her years of innocent childhood. She began with the the deepest sadness in her life. I could see that her wound was still very tender and was defining her as a person.

We need to remember these ones who faced unspeakable losses in their lives. We cannot just pass by and minimize the affect of those painful years. They will be walking through these issues for many years. Ribka and others like her are now working to mend the wounds of others--who could be more understanding than those who have the same loss in their lives.