“I know Ahmaud.
He goes to my church. He attends my small group.
He helped me move into my first home. He serves with me on the worship team.
He’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. He’s like a little brother to me.
Even more than that, every night Ahmaud tries to avoid going to sleep by coming downstairs with another excuse – often saying that he needs to give Mommy another hug or kiss – or to tell us that he needs to get his drumsticks because they want to sleep with him.
Ahmaud is loud and fun and knows exactly how cute he is and is wildly aware of how his charisma can light up a room.
Ahmaud is so, so tiny, fresh from the hospital, and a welcome surprise in the middle of a pandemic.
You see, Ahmaud is my son.
I actually have three Ahmauds who sleep under my roof every night. And all 3 of them have my whole heart.
This is not a political issue.
It’s personal.
To all my friends and family who are people of color, I don’t fully understand your experience or your perspective, but know that my wife Katrina and I are doing our best to BETTER understand.
We see you, we love you, and we will continue to use our time, resources, and voices to ask questions and participate in this conversation so that hopefully, heart by heart and step by step, we can see a cultural shift away from racism and towards reconciliation.
Forgive me for the times when I haven’t been aware and engaged.
I get it now.
#irunwithmaud”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Mark Hilliard and originally appeared on Facebook. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories.
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