A Reflection by Brooke Taylor
It takes a lot of courage to leave what is familiar and enter into unknown. It takes a lot of
courage to place your trust in anyone when you have been taken advantage of multiple
times in relationship with others. It takes a lot of courage to disregard what people say
about you and believe something different about yourself.
“I’ve been stitching these blankets for years,” I could imagine her saying. She rested her
left elbow on an old sari blanket as she wove her needle rhythmically through the layers
of sari. Today like most days she was working on a queen size blanket; the stitching and
nature of the work has become natural for her in her few years at Sari Bari.
It takes time to grow in skill and confidence when first learning to sew. Our friends we
work alongside at Sari Bari are massively courageous. All of them have developed new
skills coming to work at the business; some have taken positions of leadership within Sari
Bari due to their attentive skill.
These women are courageous because in coming to work at Sari Bari they have left a
lifestyle where they were told they had to stay. They were told that there is no place for
them in society, they have no value, they have nothing to offer; but they have chosen to
reject these lies and take back their life that was stolen from them. They have created
and are creating a new life for themselves. It is their own courage that has created their
freedom. This is why they are our heroes.