The Suburban Times

A community bulletin board for Western Pierce County.

  • Home
  • To Know
  • To Do
  • To Ponder
  • Obituaries
  • Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • More
    • Share your story
    • Submit an Event
    • Contact

Letter: Bowed, But Not Broken

February 16, 2021 By David Anderson Leave a Comment

As the victim read her impact statement in the final stage of a sentencing, a young man in the courtroom bowed his head.

His pencil rolled off his notepad and dropped to the floor.

Photo by JM Simpson “Bowed, But Not Broken”

As new and inexperienced news reporter, his beat had been to report on crime, cops and courts.

But not today; this time he had been assigned to write about the sentencing phase of a trial.

On that afternoon, the victim bravely recounted to the judge the depths of the horror, the pain, the grief and the despair that she had suffered.

As the reporter worked to put down on paper the soul of the words he heard, he also noted the dignity and beauty that comes from a human spirit that is bowed and nearly broken.

The trial over, the newsman sat in the hallway and watched as the prosecutor approached the woman and her family.

“I imagine you don’t know or can’t realize now how powerful it was what you shared today,” he began.

“In the days and years to come you have a message that needs to be told to so many broken people, trapped within themselves, desperately needing to know how to be free.”

A moment later the victim advocate, whose hand had remained on the bowed shoulders of the woman during her statement to the judge, added that “it is not often I am so touched by a family as I have been yours. I will forever remember your kindness and the love that I have had the privilege of observing in your family.”

With the difficult and long trial over, the family slowly made its way down the hall toward the exit and out into the cold.

The reporter noted all of this, and at the bottom of a notebook page he scribbled in big, bold letters – which he underlined and circled several times – “Bowed, But Not Broken.”

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top Stories

  • Permit filed for 22-unit multifamily development in Lakewood
    Permit filed for 22-unit multifamily development in Lakewood
  • Adult Life; Senior-ville
    Adult Life; Senior-ville
  • Check out Kvlt’s new home in one of Tacoma’s best eating neighborhoods
    Check out Kvlt’s new home in one of Tacoma’s best eating neighborhoods
  • Obituary Notices - February 24, 2021
    Obituary Notices - February 24, 2021
  • Obituary Notices - February 27, 2021
    Obituary Notices - February 27, 2021

Become a better informed citizen.

Join over 30,000 readers each month and get real-local news and information direct to your inbox, Monday-Saturday.


Recent Comments

  • Eric Chandler on Adult Life; Senior-ville
  • Eric Chandler on Choosing Our Words
  • Joan Campion on Choosing Our Words
  • Ben Sclair on Adult Life; Senior-ville
  • Jim kell on Adult Life; Senior-ville

Contact Us

The Suburban Times
P.O. Box 39099
Lakewood, WA 98496

Ben Sclair, Publisher
253-312-1804

Stephen Neufeld, Marketing Executive
stephen@thesubtimes.com

Copyright © 2021 The Suburban Times • Log in • Privacy Policy

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.