Saturday, May 30, 2009

Today

I stand on the sidewalk on a sunny Colorado day in May. I'm dressed in black. So are the other six women who are also standing here as a reminder, a call, for peace. I'm kind of amazed that, for some reason, we keep coming back to this corner through rain and snow and hot, sweaty days. What is it about these women that they take this act so seriously while others spend their Saturdays shopping or going to the mountains? We stand for an hour every week and allow affirmations as well as insults to pass through us like fog through the trees.


Car horns honk. People wave. A driver in the westbound traffic yells out her window, "Freedom isn't free!". A hand reaches out of the back of a small van and forms the peace sign. Many drivers, cellphone to their ears, never seem to notice us.

A couple who appear to be in their 60s walk by and the man tells the woman what our signs say. I can't tell by his voice whether he supports our message or not. The couple sits on the bench at the bus stop and I can watch them as I stand. I figure out that the woman is blind. She never looks anywhere but directly ahead. The man, who has a beautiful, snowy white head of hair and a little paunchy belly, pulls out a yo-yo and begins to play. He is a master. I didn't know that yo-yos even existed anymore! At one point, I hear him explain to his wife (or friend or whatever role she plays) every trick he is doing and she proudly celebrates his expertise. I can't stop smiling.

Life is amazing, isn't it?
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6 comments:

  1. GaryMay 30, 2009 at 11:58 PM

    Very nice story Carol. And I admire you and the other women greatly. There is something so good and right about acting on your beliefs. You will influence some people, cause others to question, bother some and not affect others.

    But you are affecting yourselves. You're affecting me.

    You're a good woman.

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  2. UnknownMay 31, 2009 at 1:21 AM

    Another wonderful post, Carol.

    You and all of the Women in Black are true peacemakers and a blessings to this world.

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  3. CarolMay 31, 2009 at 8:27 AM

    Hi Gary,

    Thanks for your comment. I know that we all do what calls to us most loudly. For some reason, that corner by the mall calls to me - and apparently a few other women - every Saturday. I know that you, too, are called - to act for human rights. And for that, I admire you.

    Kind of fun having a mutual admiration society, eh? ;-)

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  4. CarolMay 31, 2009 at 8:28 AM

    Thank you, Nick. The blessings just seem to flow in every direction. I can't figure out where they begin and where they end, my friend.

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  5. UnknownMay 31, 2009 at 10:32 AM

    Carol, I believe that that is the reality of blessings: they are continual. It's just that we are not always aware of receiving them.

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  6. SanMay 31, 2009 at 12:43 PM

    Your practice with the Women in Black is important, Carol.

    I'm glad you were blessed by the sight of the elderly couple. That is a picture of peace and harmony.

    ReplyDelete

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