Some know my daughter as the little girl who asked, "What does the killing of kids in Iraq have to do with freedom?" Many know her as the young woman who volunteers during the hot summer months in the back kitchens of Meals on Wheels. The fiercely competitive athlete. The bookworm who knows martial arts. Several know her as the Little-Big sister to her brother who is autistic. Close friends know her as a hockey fanatic. Most of you don't know her. I can honestly say, "to know her is to love her".
She is a fierce advocate for the frightened, the bullied and the forgotten. I'll always remember the day she stood up to 3 huge football players who were targeting a small, fragile boy who has Down Syndrome. One of the parents of the bullies was angry that some "boy named Danny" had threatened to break every bone in their son's throwing arm. They hadn't realized that Danni was a girl's name and that the girl was 1/3 the size and weight of their son...
She is the quiet, shy one who radiates tolerance and acceptance and will brave large, claustrophobic, anxiety inducing crowds in order to march against Wars and Hate. She routinely goes outside her comfort levels in order to stand up for those who can't speak out for themselves.
Many here have asked, begged and demanded that she write her experiences as an activist or on just for being an open and aware person living in these times. She has yet to do so as she feels she can't quite express herself clearly enough or that she can't present her true self with just words.
An Artist, a Musician, A Dancer - yet she is quite introverted and only opens up to a few. I was taken aback when she said it was okay to share this with you all. On one condition she warned me that I use her briefing "word for word without any editing or additions." She has yet to even share this with her Facebook crowd.
For her, this is her true voice.