Well Punkin, I know that I can't really say I know how you feel, but I do feel for you. I can only imagine that the way you are/were treated by these people is probably the way I feel when someone who thinks they are much better than me (snobs) treat me as a lowly person who is not worth their while. It is very sad to see how the human race can treat people, no matter what their color. There is a line from the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Theives, where Morgan Freemans character is talking to a little girl from the camp, and it goes like this:
Girl: "Did God paint you?"
Man: (laughs) "Did God paint me?".........(smiles) "Yes"
Girl: "Why?"
Man: "Because Allah loves wonderous variety"
I wish that people would just look past the color and simply view us as a single race. Sort of how they look at horses, there are so many different colors and breeds, but all beautiful. And my Granny says the same thing your mom says, "kill them with kindness". And I know it can be hard, but I think the more you do it, the easier it is.
I grew up in a very small town, and untill I went to High School in a different town, I had never had black class mates. Of course, I was tickled pink at the thought, and had many friends that were a "different" color than me. I didn't care about it though, I think we are all beautiful in our own way. However, 2 of my best friends from high school were never allowed to come to my house or spend the night or anything by their own parents, because their parents were afraid something might happen to them, becase the small town that I grew up in, unfortunately, had a reputation for having members of the kkk around. It really hurt me, because I thought it was stupid (the kkk) and just wanted to be able to show my friends around (cause we live out in the country and it's so pretty), but their parents were always afraid something would happen.
So you can see, there are more people that are affected by people's ingnorance than just someone who is black, or brown, or fat or thin. And most people fear what they don't understand, or feel threatned by it, and instead of letting it be, or trying to learn from it, they act out and try to hurt what they don't understand. It's sad, but if you look around, what is even more sad is that humans tend to destroy more than they create, and that is because they are not informed, and have a closed mind. My mind, however, is open, like my heart, and you Punkin, are BEAUTIFUL! I wish I went to barrel races, because I'd love to meet you in person. Maybe one day I will! If I were you I'd keep on trucking, keep on smiling, and sooner or later those people will stand up and take notice of you. They'll notice than no matter how they treat you, that you repay them with kindness, and that you ride just as good if not better than they do, and then they'll start to feel a change in their heart about you. So don't give up, hold your head high, and know that you do have friends who love you for who you are!! (((((((HUGS)))))))) (((((((HUGS)))))))) (((((((HUGS))))))))
