Is She Worth It? A Love Letter. A Battle Cry. A Trauma-Informed Reckoning.

"Liberty doesn’t need your nostalgia—she needs your courage. Not your hand on your heart, but your feet in the fire.” - Mary Coughlin

There’s a moment near the end of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves that grabbed me by the spine and refused to let go.

Azim, played by Morgan Freeman, turns to Robin and asks, “Is she worth it?”

He’s talking about Marian.
But I saw someone else standing in her place.

Liberty.

Tattered.
Tired.
Trembling on the edge of a nation she once called home.

And I felt my soul rise with the only answer that matters:
Yes. Yes, she’s worth it.

But here’s the truth we need to face:

We are losing her.

Not to war or foreign invasion.
But to cowardice, cruelty, and calculated disinformation.
To a culture of fear that silences truth-tellers.
To leaders who confuse power with purpose.

Donald Trump is not only the sitting President of the United States—he has become a symbol of democracy’s slow unraveling.
A mirror reflecting what happens when we forget that democracy is not a guarantee, but a practice. A sacred responsibility.
He did not create the erosion—but he has fueled it, profited from it, and now stands at the helm of its acceleration.
His rise is what happens when we abandon truth for spectacle, justice for power, and citizenship for comfort.
And now, as he slides this country down a dangerous slope into chaos and control—he and his cronies rake in money, influence, and unchecked authority.
This is what tyranny looks like in modern clothes.

And if we don’t speak, act, and rise—
Liberty will not survive this chapter.

We are in our Sherwood moment.
A time when ordinary people must decide whether they’ll live quiet lives in the shadow of tyranny…
Or rise, together, to defend what is sacred.

Because Liberty is not an ideal.
She is a lived experience.
And right now, for far too many in this country—
She is gasping for air.

And if you're wondering what any of this has to do with trauma-informed care, the answer is: everything.

Because what we are witnessing in America is not just political unrest.
It is collective trauma—deep, systemic, and soul-wounding.

Tyranny is trauma made policy.
And trauma-informed care isn’t just for hospitals and therapy offices—
It’s a blueprint for how we lead, legislate, and live.

Trauma-informed care says:

• Safety is sacred.

• Truth matters.

• Power must be accountable.

• Healing is possible—but only when harm is named.

• People—all people—deserve dignity, voice, and choice.

You cannot be trauma-informed and be silent in the face of authoritarianism.
You cannot preach compassion and enable cruelty.
You cannot hold space for healing while systems are actively harming.

To be trauma-informed in 2025 is to be liberty-aligned.

So I’ll ask you the question that started this all:

Is she worth it?
Is Liberty worth your voice?
Your courage?
Your discomfort?

Is she worth more than your silence?

Because she’s still standing,
watching us.

And she’s not asking for your perfection.

She’s asking:
Are you willing to remember who you are?
Are you willing to fight for me—not with fists, but with fierce love and unshakable truth?

Reflection Prompt:
If Liberty stood before you today—tattered, tired, and trembling—what would you say to her?
What would you do to prove she’s worth it?

Write it. Speak it. Live it.
Because now, more than ever, Caring is Essential.

In fierce love and unrelenting hope,
Mary

P.S.: If this stirred something in you—don’t let it stop here. Share this message. Join the conversation.
And if you're ready to move from silence to soul-led action, join me at our Virtual Town Hall on April 19.
We are not helpless.
We are the weavers of what comes next.
👉 REGISTER HERE