my blood is red.

I attended an Indian wedding with my mom a few weekends ago, and I’m positive that I got to experience something that a lot of people will not get to in their lifetime. I met people – good people, kind people, genuine people. I got to see them celebrate love, family, happiness, all in their own very special way. It might be the most extravagant wedding that I have ever attended, it was out of the world. From the flowers, to the clothing it was all so beautiful.

We woke up at about 9am, and then went to the grooms walk at 10am. We were celebrating his side, because he is a doctor that my mom knows and loves. All of his family and friends gather around him, they play music and pray and we danced down this hallway. There wasn’t a face that wasn’t smiling or laughing in the crowd. The brides side of the family welcomes him at the end, and they pray again and performed certain rituals that they practice in their religion.

Next, we went in to the ball room for their wedding ceremony… I do not speak any other languages, so there was a lot of the ceremony that I did not understand the actual words – but there is not a single person who was there that did not feel the love. I set next to another Indian woman who explained each and every detail to me (I had lots of questions.) Their ceremony was gorgeous, and I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a family bond like the one I saw here.

After the ceremony, we went to lunch. My mom introduced me to many of her friends, some new and some old. But, she introduced me to another Indian doctor and his wife. When I first met them, I immediately felt their warmth. Something that you experience rarely in this day and age.

We got to talking about their daughter, who I found out had been bullied because of her skin tone and the way she looks. I don’t remember her exact age, but she was under the age of 13. I just thought to myself, how can someone bully a child that came from two people like her mom and dad? I can’t tell you how kind these people were. The type of people when you look at them, it’s hard not to smile.

The wife was between the age of 30 and 40 years old and she might be the most genuine person I have ever met. One of those people who truly cares about people, and shows it. When I was first introduced to her I noticed that she had a gorgeous dark complexion, with long black hair pulled back into a pony tale, and dark eyes. She was dressed in a beautiful sari that must have taken someone 10 years to make.

I ended up going shopping with her – she needed earrings for the reception, and I needed shoes. We got stuck in traffic on the way to the mall, and ended up having a lot of time to talk. We talked about lots of things, religion, children, bullying, love, parents, fashion.. I would tell her a happy or funny story and we would laugh so hard – those deep belly laughs you know? I would tell her a sad story and her eyes would well up with tears. She gave me advice like I had known her my whole life. She treated me like I was one of her own – she just cared. She listened to me, she valued my opinion, she did not judge or stereotype, she was open and she was honest. She radiated warmth, kindness, happiness, and love – I hope that I can make one person feel like I care the way she did for me that day.

The sad part, this lady that I met, and who became my friend, is of the same decent that a numerous amount of people in this country hate, stereotype and bully. If you know me, you know that I stand up for what I believe in, and I protect those who I care about. I guess that’s what this post is really about… standing for what you believe in.

I believe that regardless of a person’s skin tone, religion, hair color, how they look or what they believe in that they can be an amazing human being that I would be proud to call a friend.
I believe that every person deserves a chance to show you who they are before you judge or stereotype them.
I believe that words hurt.
I believe that some people really need to think before they comment on a persons skin tone, race, or religion and say “they must be this” or “they must be that” without knowing a single thing about them.
I believe that I can have different beliefs than a person and still love them.
I believe that I can be a different color than a person and still love them.
I believe that racism is a very real thing that needs to be stopped.
I believe that there is evil in this world. That evil comes in white, black, brown, yellow, red, purple – it is not in the form of a religion, or race. It is in the form of man. Any religion or race has evil, but why should that make you judge them as a whole?
I believe that we all bleed red. On the inside we look the same. We all make mistakes, and none of us are perfect.
I believe that regardless of who you pray to, or if you don’t pray at all – good people have a common goal: to be good, to do good, and for the world to be a better place.

I learned one of the biggest lessons that I will learn in my life that weekend… That is to love people. Step out of your comfort zone, get to know someone. Who knows? You might stumble upon some of the best people you will meet in your life.
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I’d like you to take a step back and think about how good these people made me feel this weekend. Think about the warmth, love, and kindness they showed me and the other people around them. Isn’t that something that all of you would like in your life?
Think of my friends. Throw the stereotypes out the window. Be a better you.

​-T