Why Apologies Are Not Enough

I found this post off of my friend Fiauna's blog and asked if I could copy it over. This was her response...

Sarah,

I'm glad you liked my post. Yes, you can definitely link to it on yours. I want the word to get around. We really need to change how we speak--especially those in power, you know what I mean?

So here is what she posted...

To Rahm Emanuel, Rush Limbaugh, and all others who choose to use that word in that way:

Your apologies are not enough. It saddens anddisappoints me that people in your positions and with your level of education have not elevated your sensitivity or vocabulary above that of the fifth grade. I challenge you to learn.

I will accept your apology when you have sat across the desk of a neurologist, therapist, pediatrician or educator and been told that your child is developmentally delayed, cognitively impaired, or mentally retarded.

I will accept your apology when you have changed an adult diaper, spoon fed a fifteen-year-old, or spent $40,000 of your own money on this therapy or that teaching technique just to hear your child say his or her own name.

I will accept your apology when you've seen the look on the faces of your children, the sudden wetness in their eyes, the blush on their cheeks, when they hear someone using that word, knowing that it refers (even if unintentionally) to their sister whom they love and adore.

I will accept your apology when you've spent sleepless nights cataloging every moment of your life trying to find out where you went so wrong to have irreparably damaged your own child and praying for the strength to move on.

I will accept your apology when you've looked into the eyes of the purest of souls and caught a glimpse of yourself, however small or fleeting, and realized that they are not here to learn but instead are here to teach.

I will accept your apology when you come to my home and meet my exceptionally beautiful daughter who may never go to college or have a child of her own, but who will undoubtedly capture your heart. And I guarantee you that you will never use that word in that way again.

Sincerely,

Fiauna Lund