Challenged by Children: Heather Daugherty

[Beautiful Future - XXI]

“Mama, what is war?”

I was not prepared for the little 4-year old voice that piped up from my backseat in response to the story airing on NPR. I answered the question the best I could and learned the lesson that little ears are always listening, especially when we least expect it.

That 4-year old is a lot older (and much taller) now, but when I think about what gives me hope for the future, my immediate thoughts turn to her and her friends.

Her life is oriented toward justice for the oppressed and marginalized.

Toward making space to hear the voices of those who are often forced to be silent.

Toward making real and tangible changes.

She started a non-profit to educate her peers about issues of racial injustice and allyship. She heads up our family recycling, composting, and environmental stewardship efforts. She made us (FINALLY) move to being pescatarians. Every day she challenges me—sometimes in a normal teenage way, but more often than not she challenges me to be a better person.

The present isn’t always easy, but I am confident that our children are not only dreaming of a different future, but are making that future a reality now.

[Heather is a university minister at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. If I could have a (pescatarian) family meal with anyone from the good state of Tennessee, it would be the Daugherty family!]