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As a TV host, I have to know what is going on in the world. The newspaper is part of my morning ritual. My laptop sits next to my cereal or eggs or whatever it is I’m eating that morning, Reading helps me prepare my questions and comments for my guests. I could also watch TV news or listen to any of many podcasts, but I prefer to read something that has had some level of curation and that allows me to take in as much or as little as I need.
Events and facts in the news inform the framework of my next show and the discussion with my next guest. I develop a clear picture of how the topics of the day fit into my own leadership philosophy and practice and what my audience is likely to be thinking about. Understanding the news allows me to adjust the closing remarks of every show, helping each of my listeners to unlock the resilient leader they already are.
I’m pretty rational as I read. No point in getting too emotional about things you can’t change.
In the past, I have been moved by articles about natural disasters and sent up silent prayers for the survivors. I have been touched by images of children that evoke the mother in me.
But recently, I have found myself weeping as I read the stories. Not tears in the corners of my eyes, not sweet remembrances of my own now-grown child, but inconsolable weeping for the children who have been pulled from their parents.
You see, I remember the long-ago moment when the nurse wheeled my daughter from pre-op to surgery. There was a real chance that she would die on the operating table. I was the last family member to be with her as she was prepped for the surgery, and it was hard to be there for her without breaking down in front of her, but she needed my strength to bolster her own.
Yet, even in that difficult moment, I knew where she was. I knew the intentions of the doctors who were caring for her. And I knew that she knew that her parents and grandparents were all thinking about her. Yes, a difficult moment and time, but we all knew where and why and could take comfort in the trust we gave to the surgical team.
So, when I read about children being taken away from their parents and to someplace unknown with unknown intent, all I can do is weep. My opinion of why this is happening is less important than the greater reality that every child needs to know they are safe in the guardianship of a parent.
Today, grief visits me in new ways. All I can do is weep.
