Your words will NOT ruin our day

This early Sunday morning for my family was spent at the Maple Valley 5K Run, Walk, Roll in support of Ethan's school. The weather was chilly, but nice, and the sun shined down on all of the wonderful people there for the same cause. Our special kids. Special kids of this community. Kids who struggle to do the simplest things most of us take for granted. I didn't break any records, or even finish the full 5K, but one week post-op with two drains and operating on pain meds, I owe it to my son, to walk for him. Because I can, and because he can't.
My sister Kim came and walked with us, my older kids ran it together-Hailey finishing 3rd in her age bracket! My husband drug himself out of bed after working last night and getting but a few hours of sleep. It was a glorious morning.

So you can imagine my heartbreak when I read the text I am about to post here.
This text was sent to my daughter Hailey while at school on Friday. It was sent anonymously, from a blocked number. This text is disturbing. Disturbing enough that Hailey was never going to show it to us. I was perusing her Twitter site when I found it.

Stop posting photos of your pathetic little brother.
Hes bald and retarded and his teeth are messed up.
Stop asking for sympathy and prayers cause no ones going
to give you any. Just leave and don't come back.

Yeah, wow, right? I copied this verbatim, poor punctuation and all.
I have run the gamut of emotions since reading this.
Shock. Anger. Disappointment. Disgust.
I really don't know where I'm at right now with my emotions.
Somewhere between crying and wanting to find out exactly who sent this to her and go right on over to their house and punch them in the face. And their parents for obviously raising a child with no manners or moral compass.
But since I refuse to let these words bring me to tears, and I'm afraid punching someone right now would hinder my recovery and getting my drains removed this week, I will use my words.
And know this anonymous, blocked texter; I am not afraid to put my name with these words like you were too big a coward to own up to yours.
My name is Kari Rawley. My address is 1418 NE 93rd St. My cell is 816-885-9525. And my personal email is karawley03@yahoo.com. Oh, and I'm on FB as Kari Haile Rawley and
Twitter as @krawley. You want to say something about my kids, or feel the need to pick on someone, come find me. Shoot me a text and we can hook up in person, because you mistakenly just bullied a defenseless, handicapped 9 year old.

YOU-anonymous, blocked texter (sorry, it's really the nicest way I can refer to this person right now) YOU are obviously "friends" with my daughter on FB, Twitter and/or Instagram to have seen all the pictures she posts of her darling brother. No one has forced you to look at these photos of her 'retarded' brother. Are you sure you're not just a jealous stalker? Someone who clearly doesn't have the love in their life that I see when I look at all the pics of Hailey and Ethan? Did your Mommy and Daddy not hug you enough and tell you they love you enough? Because I tell my children I love them every single day, and the love in our family shows in all those pics. Or did your Mommy and Daddy not spank you enough as a child and teach you right from wrong and what hate and prejudice is and how not not to foster those terrible attributes? Or do you just think that behind anonymous, blocked texting you can act like a bad ass and spew hate? I'm sure betting you saw my daughter at some point at school on Friday and yet didn't have the guts to say any of this to her face.
Nor will you now.

But I'm calling YOU out anonymous, blocked texter. That kid you called 'retarded' is a public school student and thus protected by the same bullying laws that protect YOU from having some kid punch your lights out. And telling my daughter to 'just leave and don't come back' sure sounds like a threat. We will be forwarding this text on to school officials tomorrow. And I'm making no threats here. This is a promise. A pinky swear, on my life promise that I WILL find out who sent that text and we will have a chat. In person. Probably with school officials and law enforcement and hopefully with a counselor for YOU and your issues.

How dare YOU make my daughter feel the way she has this weekend because of your rude words? To belittle the love and affection between two siblings that I see in all her photos. YOU must be perfect and have perfect siblings in order to be so judgmental of other's physical differences. But since I know you're not, because NONE of us are, YOU must just be a sad, lonely, person with little self confidence and making fun of others makes you feel better about yourself. And I'm sure that just you, one person sent this text, but more than a few know about it, and eventually someone will dime you out. You can't have gone through life, even just 15-18 years and acted this way and not made an enemy or two. Someone who knows YOU does know this was wrong, and their conscience will get the better of them.

I don't want an apology. Or an " I didn't mean it that way". I want you to spend a whole day with this 'retarded bald kid with messed up teeth'. I want you to see how wonderful he is.
How he can make you laugh and smile just being around him. How he would never think the terrible things about you that you think about him. How he knows no hate or meanness. For you to see how proud of him we are for the things he's accomplished in his nine short years on this earth. Surely more proud than your parents are of you. How he changes people for the better.
How he makes you instantly feel better when you're having a bad day.

If you spend a day with him and don't feel any of these things, then you are a shallow, closed-minded, self absorbed, evil, disgusting, poorly raised child who doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as my children. And the sympathy and prayers I ask for will be for you.

I want you to think twice before posting something negative and derogatory about another person online. Actions have consequences. People have feelings. And though my Family will not let your words ruin us-believe me little person, I've heard worse-we will forgive you for your nastiness, but we will never forget your attack on our special boy.

In the meantime, thanks to the wonderful wide world of social media, I'm starting an Ethan photobomb marathon until you either unfriend my daughter or own up to your cowardice actions.
I will post a pic of Ethan every day, multiple times a day and tag Hailey in every single one. I have 9 years and lots of pics to shower on you. Oh, and I'm off work for two more weeks-a great time to dig out even more pics of the bald kid!!
Because for those people who really are her friends, our friends, and who love Ethan, they won't mind seeing his bald, silly grin like it clearly bothers YOU-anonymous, blocked texter.