A woman says a poem she posted on Facebook about bullying has led to her high school bullies contacting her and asking for forgiveness. According to the woman, the persons tormented her at a California high school 25 years ago.
Classmates of Lynda Frederick 42, of Rochester, N.Y. want to make amends for bullying her at high school. They have asked her to attend a 25th high school reunion in Escondido Calif., on July 27, compliments of the Orange Glen High School Class of 1987, MSNBC reports.
According to MSNBC, Frederick said: “I am nervous. I am looking forward to seeing them, even knowing that what has happened has happened. I have forgiven those who have hurt me in the past.”
Frederick received phone calls, emails and Facebook messages from her former classmates after she posted a poem on the Orange Glen High School Class of 1987 Facebook page. The poem:

that little girl who came to school with the clothes she wore the day before
instead of asking why.. you picked on her
the little girl who had to walk to school while others rode the bus
instead of asking why.. you picked on her
the little girl who had bruises and was dirty
instead of asking why.. you picked on her
the little girl who was always crying
instead of asking why.. you picked on her

According to Frederick, “They’re all apologizing now for how I was treated. I had one man call me up and we talked for an hour on the phone. He cried and cried. I kept saying, ‘You can’t fix yesterday, so let’s fix today.’”
She said: “It never leaves you. I wanted people to know that for the one who is doing the bullying, it could just be a phase, but for the person who is being bullied, it stays with you all your life.”
One of Frederick’s class bullies who read the poem was Lisa Wallace. She said: “This poem touched me so bad I could not sleep. I cried.”
KSDK.com reports that another classmate Kristi Malone, said she remembers Frederick and how much the kids bullied her. She recalls “looking at her being bullied horribly and thinking, ‘I feel so bad for her.’ But never thinking in my head that I could stand up for her, and not once did anyone back her up.”
Many were overcome by feelings of guilt. Malone said: “Just people in tears, like ‘How could we have done this to her.’” She added, “they were just crying, saying ‘Why did I do that?’”
The Huffington Post reports Wendy Bergin Gotte wrote on the high school reunion Facebook page: “We are making a statement for all that bully anyone, it is not right and it feels bad on both ends. It just goes down the line and hurts everyone along the way.”
Frederick explained that after her graduation she packed her things and headed for New York state to start afresh.
According to The Huffington Post, Frederick is now a mother of three who lives in Seneca Falls, N.Y. Her three children are 22-year-old Eric, 20-year-old Bryson and 14-year-old Amanda. Amanda is also currently dealing with bullying issues at school. Frederick said: “She’s overweight and doesn’t wear the trendiest clothes and it’s been very difficult. I tell her to look at the people and say, ‘If you don’t like what I’m wearing, if you don’t like the way I look, then don’t look.’”
KSDK.com reports organizers of the Orange Glen High School Class of 1987 reunion, including her former classmates Michelle Ainsworth and Sabrina Doyle, have helped set up a scholarship fund in her name.
One student every year at Orange Glen High School will be awarded a scholarship.
Her classmates also raised $800 for her to buy an airline ticket and attend the reunion.
KSDK.com reports her former classmate Wallace said, “She really is my hero because she succeeded through all of this. I look up to her.”
According to MSNBC, Frederick has agreed to stay a week and she is looking forward to seeing everyone again.
Frederick said: “Christ forgave me..and I forgive you.”

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Digital Journal – Facebook poem leads high school bullies to apologize after 25 yrs