Seven years ago, when Elizabeth was a young teen, maybe 14, she was kidnapped for I think 8 or 9 months. My sister's children, for some reason, seemed to have some sort of a mental tie to her. Maybe it was because they lived in the same state where Elizabeth Smart had lived.
Where they once were happy go lucky children, my nieces and nephews started to be scared. They started locking the doors of their home which they had never done before, never needed to do because they were living in a safe, rural neighborhood. They started watching out for each other, walking each other home from school. When one of the children was late coming home, even from next door, the brothers and sisters would go looking for them.
It was very touching to watch these children care for each other. As siblings, that is not always the way it is. This family hoped every day for the safe return of Elizabeth Smart. Well, finally, maybe nine months later, someone found her. She has been very quiet all these years about what really happened to her but she testified in court this week that the crazy man who kidnapped her, who thought he was inspired by God to kidnapped her, married her in his own quickie, weird ceremony and had actually raped that poor little girl sometimes three and four times every day.
Elizabeth Smart is amazing. Instead of just climbing in a hole, with a therapist, she chose to go out on the road and talk. She is 21 years old now. She is an advocate for kidnap victims. She talks. She helps. She has now graduated from college and is going on a two year mission for her church. She has said you can either feel sorry for yourself or get over it, basically. What an example. What a tremendous young woman.
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