Lettuce Lake 2008
I am feeling some peace this evening, more than I have felt since the death of my son nearly three weeks ago. Looking back at why this feeling of peace, doing an examen of consciousness, I can see why.
For one I gave up fighting for but not working on two issues on which people were using me and my human faults as a way to avoid a message. I remembered the description of nonviolence by Judith Brown in her book on Gandhi: It is “striving nonviolently to the point of sacrifice rather than fighting to attain one’s vision of truth.” To struggle, to “speak truth to power” and to act on our words and belief, is necessary for peace of mind but to struggle nonviolently and accept rejections and insults is difficult.
I also heard from a number of friends today, some with requests for aide and some with just words of support. My Sierra Leone nephew and one niece called today to just say hello and offer support.
Also I was blessed today to be in the presence of my friend Dismas Becker who as close to death as humanly possible but can still manage a smile and grasp my hand.
However, probably the most joy came today when I went from the wrong side of the street in early evening to talk with the young men who were playing basketball on the full court that is threatened by a few residents and local politicians. The first group of 10 or 11 young men I met were a family, literally, brothers, cousins and friends. Some of them have come from work and some from school. Amidst the second group that came to challenge the winning team of the first game there was a barber and Iraq veteran. Other individuals came, one a local 8th grade (white) student.
Watching these young men play game after game of basketball was exciting. The energy they were spending and the skill was a joy to watch. A cyclist dressed in black, looking like a police officer, came by to watch. He said he often stops from his 5 miles bike ride at the park to just to enjoy and watch these young men play basketball. I told him about the effort to eliminate the full court and he said that was wrong.
This morning I got up early, for me, to go to Mass at the local Croatian church that borders the park. I asked the pastor about the controversy on the basketball courts and he said, as I believe, that the full court should stay and the young men should just obey the rules and regulations of the park. Something the young men playing basketball today would agree with.
What makes a day end peacefully; maybe it is the start of the day in prayer or appreciating people and having them appreciate you. All I know it was good day.
Comments
(:commentboxchrono:)