I need to say something and I don’t think it can wait. In the last few days, I’ve had two very heart-warming conversations with men who have thanked me for the work that I’m doing to better the world for their daughters.
I never expected to receive those comments or to have these men express themselves in the way that they have with me. I didn’t realize how much it would affect me, and that as I sit here in this café writing this blog entry that I would have trouble not tearing up, and not feeling grateful to them.
I’m not sure about you, but me, I love the work that I do, and I know that working in the gender violence field is not easy. It can be thankless. It can put you at odds with many members of your family and your friends. You will run up against those who try to challenge you, who will just not understand where you are coming from, and what you are trying to fight for.
You will know that all you can do and hope for is to make a small dent in the world. That if only one person benefits from the work you do, that it is enough.
But, I don’t think you ever really expect to be thanked for your work. And so, when you are, maybe like me, you will shed a tear in relief.
So, to those men, I want to say, thank you.
To everyone and anyone who has encouraged me, thank you.
Sometimes, I don’t really know what it is I’m working towards. I don’t know if I’m making a difference. And I don’t know if anyone out there cares that I am doing this work.
Your words have comforted me and made me really understand that I am doing important work. That I have a voice, a story, a role to play in making our world a little safer.
Thank you.
~ Mariya