There are three words that should be taken out of the English language. One phrase to be precise. “Shame on you.” These three words, when written in an editorial, express fear and a lack of compassion. A young man recently expressed the opinion that maybe we should take care of our fellow Americans. Someone used these hateful words (shame on you) to relate dismay at the man’s lack of empathy for the victims of Haiti. Can we ever run out of compassion for our fellow human sufferer? Is the victim of the earthquake more worthy of love than a single mom just trying to feed her children and experiencing dismay? My Higher Power has enough love and compassion for all of us, even the one who utters the phrase that send chills down my spine. Shame is a deadly emotion that can be used to keep us from truly loving ourselves and others. Just for today I choose to attempt compassion for my human family, whether they live here, in Haiti, and whether they spread love or fear.
● About Me
I wrote and published my first blog post on May 26, 2009. I was about to turn 36 and had been accepted to Mount Holyoke College as a non-traditional student, on my way to completing a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Medieval Studies. I had managed, finally, to know what general direction I was traveling. As a self proclaimed voracious reader I knew that I needed a vocation that would allow me to engage daily with words: reading words, writing words, and hearing words. I also needed to eat, so I navigated my way to a teaching position and I began to fine tune my craft. I love to teach and I love my students, but I also needed to continue to hone my own literary technique, voice, and style. I continued my education in order to delve deeper into literature, making connections, and most definitely, writing. I gained more confidence as a reader as well as a writer of both creative and analytical text. That first blog post in 2009 is short, the writing average, and the topic mundane, but as I continued to learn from other writers I began to understand that to become a better writer I needed to write more. Each time I write and release a poem, a post, or a story, I hone my skills. I invite you along for the ride, for this journey of mine as I attempt to wrangle a wealth of ideas and competing directions into an organized freshly paved path to publication. I might get distracted along the way, but sometimes those detours lead us to amazing views and new friends.
Laura Smith Writer 
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