This Day In History – Elizabeth Smart Rescued

March 12 may seem like a small and insignificant day. But in 1894 it was the first day that Coca-Cola was sold in glass bottles. Additionally, in 2003 it was the day Elizabeth Smart was rescued. As I researched this day for this article, Elizabeth Smart’s rescue stood out to me as the most significant.

I remember the day she was kidnapped. I live in Utah, and it was all over the news. Her heartbroken family was pleading for her return, and I was devastated that a little girl wasn’t safe in her bedroom. I sympathized with her scared little sister who had to witness the whole kidnapping. And I prayed they would find her quickly.

Kidnapped

As the days passed without any sign of her, she remained in my prayers. I remember feeling deeply connected to her well-being. The news said that the longer she was gone, the less likely it was she would ever be found alive. Certainly, that was horrifying!

Miraculously, 9 months later, she was discovered alive and rescued from the demented people who had kidnapped her. The whole country celebrated. It had only been a few days earlier when I had again prayed for her safe return.

I wasn’t the only one celebrating Elizabeth Smart’s safe return. It was everywhere! The media discussed her rescue as insatiably as they had bemoaned her disappearance. It was a beautiful day! One we all needed after worrying for so long.

Elizabeth was brilliant and aided her rescuers in finding her. She wisely encouraged them to come back to Utah from California where they had been hiding out. And she signaled to bystanders that she needed help. I can’t confirm it, but I suspect that the new “help me” hand signals that are on social media could be inspired by her experience.

Rescued

I admire how well Elizabeth Smart has recovered from her ordeal. Not only did she stand up to her abusers in court, and guarantee that they never hurt another person. She is truly inspiring. As of this writing, Elizabeth Smart has written 2 books. The first My Story is a New York Times best-selling memoir about her experience and how she rebuilt her life.

I read it, and she did a beautiful job sharing her experiences without traumatizing innocent audiences. Knowing all she went through has made her accomplishments that much more significant. The second book is titled Where There’s Hope. It’s a guide to overcoming trauma and making peace with the past. I got a copy for a friend who is also a huge Elizabeth Smart fan. And she couldn’t say enough good about it.

Triumph

Not only has Elizabeth Smart written books, she is a public speaker and advocate for survivors of sexual assault and abuse. She founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation to help end sexual assault and exploitation through education, healing, and advocacy. And she worked with the Department of Justice, along with other survivors, to create a guide for children who have been abducted, titled “You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment”.

In 2021 Elizabeth Smart competed on The Masked Dancer and placed 8th overall. She has executive produced several Lifetime movies about other abduction survivors, including Stolen By Their Father, The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story, and Abducted By My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story.