by Hunter Byrd
This post is based off of a couple of events that happened over the past week. For me, it's hard to believe this wasn't planned by God and that there isn't a deeper meaning behind it.
Last week, my grandmother and father killed a record-setting deer in my home state of Arkansas. It was a nine-point doe, yes a doe. Because of this, they have received much criticism for killing such an animal. They even received death threats, which royally ticks me off. Anyway, those people who have super vision and can observe the genitalia of a deer the moment it walks out of the woods, I want you to know that you're special and I wish I could be as awesome as you. Since most people aren't as special as you and rely on antlers to determine if it's a buck or doe then I guess it makes sense as to why they thought it was a male. Hmmm.... Anyway my point with this is you may not agree with hunting, but it gives you no right to be the back end of a mule or worse think it's okay to threaten someone's life.
Now that I got my mini-rant out, the part about this story that is important isn't the deer or the threats, but rather one simple comment on Facebook left by a special girl who saw the news in another state. A girl who doesn't know me or my family. This girl is my little sister.
When I was twelve, her mother left with her while I was staying with my own mother (my parents separated when I was eight). My dad was out on the road working as a truck driver back then before he became disabled with heart problems and other health issues. For fourteen years, not I or anyone in our family has been given the chance to see this little girl. She was around two months old when they left. The comment she left for our dad a couple days ago on the news link said, "I've been trying to find you. Please contact me".
Since then that message has been removed and there has been no response to my father, uncle, or grandmother who have all tried to get in touch with her. The mother though has publicly slandered my father trying to show him as an unfit citizen and parent, something I deem as unnecessary and immoral. Shouldn't having kept someone's child away from them be enough cruelty? Most people I believe would say "Yes", but a few others don't see the world that way. I do wonder how she would feel if the tables were turned, but honestly, that's not what we want.
What we want is something much greater than any hatred could ever provide. We want to have that little girl to be a part of our lives again and we want to be a part of hers. You see taking a child away from the only thing it knows doesn't make things right. You can't fight fire with fire or hate with hate. For my sister, we don't want to fight as it does no good for her. We want her to know her mother and continue spending time with her, but we also want a chance to do the same. Is that not fair? How is that unfit? How is that greedy? Selfish? Absurd? Why is it that fathers in this nation who try to do the right thing always get the brunt end of the deal?
I just pray she can see that and I hope there is some way she will. We hope we will get our chance to say "Hello" in the near future. I think any caring parent or sibling would want the same.
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| My grandma with her nine-point doe. |
Last week, my grandmother and father killed a record-setting deer in my home state of Arkansas. It was a nine-point doe, yes a doe. Because of this, they have received much criticism for killing such an animal. They even received death threats, which royally ticks me off. Anyway, those people who have super vision and can observe the genitalia of a deer the moment it walks out of the woods, I want you to know that you're special and I wish I could be as awesome as you. Since most people aren't as special as you and rely on antlers to determine if it's a buck or doe then I guess it makes sense as to why they thought it was a male. Hmmm.... Anyway my point with this is you may not agree with hunting, but it gives you no right to be the back end of a mule or worse think it's okay to threaten someone's life.
Now that I got my mini-rant out, the part about this story that is important isn't the deer or the threats, but rather one simple comment on Facebook left by a special girl who saw the news in another state. A girl who doesn't know me or my family. This girl is my little sister.
When I was twelve, her mother left with her while I was staying with my own mother (my parents separated when I was eight). My dad was out on the road working as a truck driver back then before he became disabled with heart problems and other health issues. For fourteen years, not I or anyone in our family has been given the chance to see this little girl. She was around two months old when they left. The comment she left for our dad a couple days ago on the news link said, "I've been trying to find you. Please contact me".
Since then that message has been removed and there has been no response to my father, uncle, or grandmother who have all tried to get in touch with her. The mother though has publicly slandered my father trying to show him as an unfit citizen and parent, something I deem as unnecessary and immoral. Shouldn't having kept someone's child away from them be enough cruelty? Most people I believe would say "Yes", but a few others don't see the world that way. I do wonder how she would feel if the tables were turned, but honestly, that's not what we want.
What we want is something much greater than any hatred could ever provide. We want to have that little girl to be a part of our lives again and we want to be a part of hers. You see taking a child away from the only thing it knows doesn't make things right. You can't fight fire with fire or hate with hate. For my sister, we don't want to fight as it does no good for her. We want her to know her mother and continue spending time with her, but we also want a chance to do the same. Is that not fair? How is that unfit? How is that greedy? Selfish? Absurd? Why is it that fathers in this nation who try to do the right thing always get the brunt end of the deal?
I just pray she can see that and I hope there is some way she will. We hope we will get our chance to say "Hello" in the near future. I think any caring parent or sibling would want the same.
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