A Prayer for Steubenville

My heart aches for the young Steubenville rape victim. I pray she finds peace and closure. I pray that she has great friends to help her through this as she walks through the halls of her high school. I pray that she will learn to laugh again and that it's ok to have fun. I pray that she knows, or will know someday, with every ounce of her being that this is not her fault. It doesn't matter what she wore, how much she drank or what she said to anyone, she did not deserve what happened to her, I pray she knows that. I pray one day she finds a nice man that treats her with every ounce of respect she deserves and loves her unconditionally. I pray she lives happily ever after.

I pray for the families of the boys convicted. I pray that they learn there is no excuse for what happened. I pray they realize how important it is to be a good parents and that they don't stop now. Their sons still have a lot of life ahead of them, and they need their parents to show them what they did was wrong, but that they can make amends by doing their time and being better citizens when they get out.

I pray the boys realize how lucky they are they did not get the time they deserved. I pray they use the time they did get as an opportunity to grow. I pray that one day they will be in the situation where they can stop this from happening to another girl. I pray we will never hear their names on the news again.

I pray for the kids who thought this whole thing was so "cool" and "funny". It is my hope that the conviction of these two boys will show the seriousness of the situation. It is my prayer that others who participated in taking videos and those who did nothing to help, feel guilt to the point they make changes in their lives to be better people.

I pray that men everywhere stand up and shout that this kind of things will not be tolerated. That fathers teach their sons how to respect women and appreciate what it means to truly love one another, not as lovers, but as neighbors on this big planet we all share. I pray that mothers convince their daughters it's ok to say no, even if saying no means losing the boy.

My biggest prayer is for girls everywhere to realize how dangerous binge drinking is, how you don't have to get stupid drunk to be part of the party. I pray they see that being a friend and stepping in, no matter the confrontation, is worth more than a spat between friends or the popular kids. I pray girls everywhere see how important it is to stick together. I pray the two girls who were arrested for threatening the rape victim realize how easily the same thing could of happened to them if they let boys rule their thinking. I pray that girls everywhere stand up to the peer pressure of the stereotypical popular party girl. I pray they have respect for themselves and grow up to be happy individuals.

This is my prayer for Steubenville.

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