Did She Jump? | Learning to ask a different question

For a long time, when hurting, at-risk kids and parents came to me for help, I wanted to know—the judge in me wanted to know—Did she jump or was she pushed? Things like that matter to the judge. How else can he assign blame? But over time, broken and battered myself, compassion posed a new question. Compassion asks: Does it matter how it happened? She’s broken. What now?

Here is my hope for all of us—you, me, our children, our children’s children: Acknowledging that things are seldom as they should be, I hope we’ll be able to look at things as they are and ask, What Now?

from Raising Adults by Jim Hancock

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rocks cry out | a StoryCorps Story about mercy

Julio Diaz courtesy StoryCorps

Every now and again a story like this one from Julio Diaz pops ups and stops me in my tracks. It's been floating around for quite a while but, somehow, I just heard it [h/t @JayHowver]. It's short, but, I think, long-lasting.

In an epoch of crazed, angry, fear, Mr. Diaz drops a little mercy on a stranger who needs it. Thank you sir. And thank you, StoryCorps.

in the wind | tweets from the space ending 04.21.14

Dear Man in Prison | a letter from Mary Demuth to the sexual predator for whom there is yet hope 
http://bit.ly/1oyg9f6

puff | 27-nation study found 15-yr-olds most likely to have tried e-cigs in 2012 http://thebea.st/1qozezY 

for purity or power? | Iraq/Syria conflict recalls a century plus of "Christians" killing "Christians" in Europe Europehttp://atfp.co/TawxnH

punchline | love the sinner but... jimhancock.blogspot.com

for the record | the story behind last week's 'apps teens actually love' story http://bit.ly/1jGbH6r

discuss | The Guardian's Seven Digital Deadly Sins jimhancock.blogspot.com