The Love of Ethic
When I first got here I took a deep dive into the self help section of the library and I had everyone send me all the self help books I could ever ask for. I spent my first few weeks indulging in everything from A Course In Miracles to Iyanla to Oprah to E. Tolle, just to name a few. Everyone around me was on a hood book kick, Ethic and Butterfly to be exact. I would hear conversations about the books from everyone, but could not partake because I was busy with my self help. After my girls came for a visit and asked me if I had read the Ethic series I decided to take a dive. It was well worth it. I finished the entire series in less than two weeks. My bunkie and my co-worker were so upset with me because I pretty much ignored them the whole time I was reading. My co-worker, aka my work wife, even told everyone that she was divorcing me.
After my co-worker saw how interested I was in the books she then decided to read them to see why I was so entrapped in them. We headed to the library and got all six because we knew that she, like myself, was a fast reader; and since we had an unusually long holiday weekend, she would more than likely get through them quickly. And she did.
When we returned to work on Monday, my co-worker was almost done with the last book. She told me how after reading one of the books she just laid in her bed and cried. My co-worker has been doing a lot of trauma work. There is a part in the book that deals with the main character reuniting with his estranged father. That scene in the book really triggered my co-worker, making her think about her relationship with her father. It was a healing moment for her.
Other parts of the book also had an impact on her. See, my co-worker is a middle aged Caucasian woman who was a former banker. The books tell a story quite foreign to her middle class, midwestern upbringing. Numerous racial and social class issues are touched upon in the book that were enlightening to her, including diversity, violence in inner city neighborhoods, and police brutality. She stated that her eyes were opened to all of these issues. I was able to share some of my personal experiences as a teacher, Black American and mother of Black girls. It was a rich and eye opening conversation for both of us.
Throughout the conversation I thought about whether the author of the book even thought about audiences with similar experiences as my co-worker. I am not sure she realized how enlightening and educational her books would be for individuals across every walk of life. It is amazing how a person who is obedient to God's calling on their life can be used to better the lives of people from around the world. My prayer is that God will use me in a similar way to bring forth something into the world that will touch the lives of many.
