I Am My Sister’s Keeper

As much as I’d like to believe that my life is mine to live, I can’t deny the power of my influence. I’m not a queen or first lady; I don’t hold a scepter in my hand. I’m not the head of a Fortune 500 company, neither do I sit on the board of directors of your favourite charity. No one is banging down my door to get my autograph or running me off the road to take my picture. And no, nobody cares what I wore yesterday. I’m just an everyday woman, but I do have influence.

You see, it’s easy to say that my actions are my own and that if I make wrong choices, I am the only one who suffers. I’d rather say that because, then, I don’t have to be live with the fact that I may be the cause of someone else’s pain.

The struggles that plague women every day trace back to a personal choice someone made. If I could see that little girl being molested because I was in such a hurry that I walked right by her and the stranger who was behaving suspiciously, or that woman being physically abused by one who claims to love her, whose bruises I failed to notice because I was glued to my phone while I waited in line for my order…how could I live with myself?

If given the opportunity, what would I say to the 6-year-old girl who fell asleep in her warm bed, only to be snatched away in the middle of the night by the stranger I’d seen wandering around the neighbourhood, but in that moment I’d chosen to ignore my gut and mind my business?

And what about my own daughter? Are my actions setting her up for future tears? 

If I had the chance, what would I say to all the women and girls negatively impacted by my choices? How would I comfort that bullied girl who cries herself to sleep at night and is on the verge of suicide because I chose not to get involved? How can I teach that child down the street that her self-worth is not determined by her appearance, when I do not display that conviction myself? Would I be able to look that tender child in the eye and explain to her that she has to go to sleep hungry tonight because I couldn’t, no, wouldn’t part with a few dollars?

Who will wipe the tears from that young woman’s face who feels like a failure because she is having a child out of wedlock, and as women we talk about her instead of embracing her?

Whether I choose to accept it or not, I have the power to influence future generations of women. That power may be on a small scale, but its impact is still relevant. The decisions I make today not only affect my children, but influence those within my scope of influence.

I am my sister’s keeper…every woman is. My actions have the power to affect many women today and tomorrow, some of whom I will never know by name. I have made some selfish decisions that have caused pain to others. But my greatest fault is underestimating the impact of my decisions.