Rumors

Three little country boys were outside playing, when a kitten was strangled to death. Two of the boys, better talkers, said the third boy did it—my foster nephew, Kory.

Kory vehemently denied it. He had no history of harming animals. By all accounts, he loved animals and was always gentle toward them. But, Kory, with a diagnosis of ADHD, a record of violent temper tantrums, and who had other problems, was assumed to have been the culprit. Neighborhood consensus was established.

The kitten's owner called the Department of Social Services, reporting that Kory had killed her kitten. The boy's mother was called in. She was threatened with losing both her children. Kory was sent to a psychiatrist for evaluation. The doctor didn't believe Kory was guilty. Eventually, the family's DSS anal exam ended.

Kory, himself, was not so lucky. When he came around the neighborhood, he was called "Kory the Cat-killer." Even the adults teased Kory, asking him to "take care of" the stray dogs and cats that came around. Kory calmly maintained his innocence.

Guess what happened? The other two boys finally admitted to killing the kitten! After all that my foster nephew and his family went through! So the lady who called DSS apologized to Kory's parents. She's promised to call DSS on Monday and report her error.

But, once the toothpaste is out of the tube, it's hard to get it back in. Can a family's trauma from being investigated be undone with an apology? Can a child's mandated visit to a psychiatrist be taken back by an apology? Can the self-esteem of a little boy who was unfairly ostracized be restored by a simple apology?

How aptly the writer defined the power of the tongue in James, chapter 3:

[5] Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
[6] And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

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Kory feeds the gazelle at Lazy 5 Ranch