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  That One Time I Falsely Accused Someone of Rape Written By  Claresa Baggs “Place your hand on this bible.” “Now you know what will happen if you swear on the bible and do the opposite, right?” “Yes, Sir. I will go to Hell.” “Now, if anybody asks if someone messed with you, tell them it was your Uncle “Ted”.” “Yes, Sir.” I was dismissed back to my room. Shortly thereafter, I was sitting at the kitchen table eating, when suddenly; I felt the flutter of what reminded me of butterflies in my belly. Call it intuition, but I knew. Strangely, as quickly as the realization came to me, it went away just as quickly. I never put any thought into it again. I was not yet able to appreciate the magnitude of change the butterflies represented. A few months passed and I began to gain weight, specifically in my belly. After talking with a friend, Mama decided to take me to the doctor. That is an additional event, I will by no means forget. The nurse took me into the examination room and had me lay up
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Gratefulness  Being grateful means having a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for the things we have in our lives, whether big or small. Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can bring joy, contentment, and peace of mind, and it can help us focus on the positive aspects of our lives. Being grateful can have many benefits for our mental and emotional wellbeing. Studies have shown that practicing gratitude can improve our mood, reduce stress and anxiety, increase our sense of well-being and life satisfaction, and even improve our physical health. Gratitude can be practiced in many ways, such as keeping a gratitude journal, expressing gratitude to others, or simply taking a few moments each day to reflect on the things we are thankful for. In a world that can often feel chaotic and uncertain, practicing gratitude can help us find meaning and purpose in our lives and can help us appreciate the good things that we have, even in difficult times.

All I Know is What I Know

My name is Claresa Baggs. I do not possess a title of Pastor, Minister, Reverend, or Prophetess. I don’t sit on any boards. I do not have a big certificate of degree handing on my office wall. I never expected to stand before you in this format, on this day. Quite frankly, I learned that I can only run for so long, before God caught me and wore me down. Who am I, to stand before you and allow teachings to flow from my mouth that I would otherwise keep to myself? I am but a retched soul, desperately in need of prayer, on a twisted and potholed path trying to find my way back to God. I have nothing to offer you but my own truths. I do not speak of things I have not experienced. I have been on a sad, angry, lonely journey. How could God; therefore, require this of me? How could He ask me, out of all who have suffered to stand before you and provide guidance? I cannot quote a bunch of biblical passages to support this presentation. I cannot list authors of self-help manuals used as refer

Statutes of Limitations

The scandal at Syracuse has me up in arms. The mere idea that a person can get away with virtually destroying a childhood, simply by crediting the passage of time is quite possibly the worst form of injustice to be perpetrated upon victims of rape. Time does not erode the scar tissue left behind on the hearts and minds of the survivors of these crimes. Having suffered the shame and humiliation as a rape victim, I can attest that the idea of coming forth is in some ways more terrifying than the very rape itself. Therefore, for someone to decide that the victim did not come forth soon enough just boggles my mind. When did it become okay to invalidate someone's suffering due to an expiration date? When did it become okay to provide greater protection to the perpetrator of such a heinous crime and leave the victim out in the cold? This has got to change. When we allow this type of injustice to prevail, the rape victim is victimized again. This time on an even greater scale. Thi

Rape vs. Molestation

In today’s environment of self-righteous indignation when it comes to the treatment of animals, our nation should be astonished by the lack of outrage concerning the mistreatment of our most valuable resources. The human animal. Our children. For years, we have taught our children to be afraid of the dark character in the black coat and hat lurking in the shadows, offering candy and other enticements. We never took the time to teach our children about the dark hearts of the people we call family, friends, and acquaintances. Oh, we may have whispered, “Tell me if someone ‘touches’ or ‘bothers’ you”. When told, this information usually falls upon the deaf ears of those responsible for protecting and ensuring the safety of the child. Mostly for the sake of keeping the family together or to smother the supposed shame brought upon the family. The laws of the land are written as to accommodate this by minimizing the true heinousness of the crimes against children. One way of a

Our Father's Business

The Devil has already discovered what we either choose to ignore or even to acknowledge. The way to destroy is through our most precious resource. We protect tangible items such as our cars, homes, bank accounts, etc.; yet we do little to protect the souls of our children. We like to think that many of our youth are going through phases which they will outgrow. Boys will be boys; that girl in just fast. Very disturbing are the news reports of the actions of our youth. Evident in this is the apparent lack of respect for the human life. More and more children are being charged with murder or other serious crimes. The persons locked away in prisons didn’t come into this world as adults. Each person is someone’s child, born with the prospect for living a God fearing and just life. How we nurture that potential directly influences the choices our children make in life. The things we as parents place value on are the same things that help our children determine their self worth or lack th