Have You Seen This?

These sketches are so powerful that they have been featured on TV and major news media outlets recently in 2023.

Will you recognize who it is? Check this out…

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Let us see who your loved one was.

A Trafficked Child’s Account

Voices of the Present and the Future would like to bring to attention the human trafficking industry on this last day of Mental Awareness Month.

There have been millions of women, men and children around the world who have been and who continue to be subjected to forced labor, domestic servitude, or the sex trade at the hands of these human traffickers. It’s a form of modern-day slavery, the inhumane practice of human trafficking that takes place here in the United States as well.

Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes investigated by ICE. In it’s worst manifestation, human trafficking is akin to modern-day slavery. They are forced into  prostitution, involuntary labor and other forms of servitude to repay debts-often incurred during entry into the United States.

One story from a child who was trafficked:

“I was 17 around when I met ‘Robert’. It started off with me and my friend meeting him for social purposes. It just went on for about nine months and we were living in different hotels the entire time and I don’t even remember how many men there were. I was a runaway and wasn’t living anywhere stable, so since I was underage most of the time, I sort of needed him in order to get hotels and move around.

I had already been a prostitute since I was 15 and I think I just didn’t even know what was right or wrong and how I should be treated. Towards the end, he held me against my will in a hostage situation and forced me to prostitute and took all the money and just beat me severely.

The last time I saw him, he was just beating me until he was absolutely tired. I was covered in bruises, my face was completely disfigured and it’s causing me issue with my back to this day because of the way he was beating me and torturing me. That was probably the worst. There was a client in the room and he was having issue with something I couldn’t do because I was all beat up. I didn’t want to do it anymore. I didn’t want to do anything. He wanted his money back. When Robert and him were talking I ran out of the room and somehow was able to run faster than him.

I didn’t tell anyone. I kept it to myself until I got a call from the FBI that he’d been arrested for something else and asked would I talk. Having to go face everything and realize how serious everything was. For the longest time I didn’t even think it was that serious.

At the trial, it felt empowering to look at him the entire time. I’m sure it drove him crazy. He can never touch me but he had to look at me and listen and it made me feel good.

I had to learn that if I don’t at least have some kind of love and value for myself, no one ever will. My advice to other girls would be to let people help you.”

Empower yourself and help empower other writers, leave comments, follow, subscribe or just hit the like button. If you have a similar story to share we would love to hear it. Let us know what you have to say here at Voices, past, present,and future.

A Monument of Love

Voices of the past would like to share with you one of the world’s greatest love stories.

It a great love begain in 1612, when Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess, married Shah Jehan, also known as Prince Khurram. The Prince would ascend to the throne in 1628 and become the 5th Mughal emporer. You will soon learn why this love story is so important to our past as you continue reading.

The queen’s real name was Arjumand Banu. In keeping with the traditions of the Mughals, important women of the royal family were given another name when they married. Mumtaz was the Princes’ second wife but she was considered his ultimate love match. By all accounts, she and the emporer were soul mates. Mumtaz accompanied him throughout all of his travels and his military expeditions, and she was his most trusted political advisor.

As with any legendary love story, tragedy would lurk in their future. Mumtaz would die giving birth to their 14th child. This had affected the emporer so badly that his black hair turned snow white in just a matter of months. He was overcome with grief, and had vowed to keep his beloved wife’s memory alive forever.

The emporer had decided to build her a monument of eternal love. Mumtaz had endeared herself to the people with her kindness, and the emporer’s subjects were inspired to help build the monument.

BECAUSE OF THE LOVE OF ONE MAN FOR HIS WIFE WE NOW HAVE WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS THE TAJ MAHL.

Thank you for joining me for an inspiring love story to help you enjoy your Sunday.

STRUGGLES

Ok guys, I had a week long full of family struggles. I’m sure you all have been through the same. We are a community and we should support one another and not forget to reach out and be there. I found a short story I wanted to share with you.

THE BUTTERFLY

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.

One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Until it suddenly stoppeeed making progress and looked like it was stuck.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, although it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man didn’t think anything of it and say there waiting for the wings to enlarge to support the butterfly. But that didn’t happen. The butterfly spent the rest of its life unable to fly, crawling around with tiny wings and a swollen body.

Despite the kind heart of the man, he didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle needed by the butterfly to get itself through the small opening; were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings to prepare itself for flying once it was out of the cocoon.

MORAL:

Our struggles in life develop our strengths. Without struggles, we never grow and never get stronger.

Reflections

I sometimes forget that Sundays should be a day of reflection. If you are like me, the love for what we do drives us to produce and punch the keys for the people who take the time from their day to read what we have to say.

I recently went to the library and checked out everything I could find on how to write a book or social media marketing just because in my minds eye I have to get it right.

The fact that you took time from your day, means I must be doing something right. I bought Stephen Kings book: On Writing, one for him being my favorite author, and two it was highly recommended as a must read for new authors.

I provided you with a snippett of my childhood, One Girls life of Hell. If you haven’t read it, please take the time to do so today. I thought I had gotten past certain things in my past and that sharing it with my readers would be an easy feat for me. I proved myself wrong.

The losses in my life make me ever so grateful for those who are in my life today. I try not to linger on the past and what it did to me in my younger days. I try to reflect and remind myself that things are put on you for a reason and no matter how hard they may seem at the time, suppose it is in preparation for the things to come and who you could potentially be if you use your circumstances in the appropriate way.

I am trying my hand at a short story contest this week, one to improve my writing and two, if I win, it would definitely boost my self esteem when it comes to my abilities as a writer.

I enjoy bringing to you the articles of the unknown, unseen, unforgettable, and sometimes the forgotten. It brings to light the events that have shaped our world and a view into a life of possibilities. People should never be forgotten, and by providing you with their, however traumatic story it may be, it keeps their memory alive and if the right person sees a story it could shine the light on new evidence to solve an otherwise unsolvable case.

Reflect today on what you accomplished for the week, set your goals for what you will accomplish for the coming week. Thank your friends and family for whatever support they provided you in making it through the week.

Again I remind you, I am an Amazon affiliate. I do make a commission off products that you purchase through my site, and I appreciate you clicking on the link in my site and supporting my blog and purchasing products. I am going to provide the link to purchase Stephen Kings book, On Writing.

Voices, past, present, and future thanks you for reading my morning of reflection.