How Wendy Reads

I have been wanting to write down this brief journal entry for almost a year now. It' a short one, about a single little memory and impression regarding my friend Wendy*. We went to a "girl's jamboree" event with our daughters and their friend. We spent a couple of nights in a dorm room, her bed was next to mine. I was restless, fighting a cold and not sleeping well. I remember dozing off to sleep in the near dark of the room, watching Wendy, because I am a side sleeper. She was quietly laying on her back in the bed across from me. She had a large book, roughly the size of a three ring binder resting across the length of her stomach. The book was face up and open. Her fingers glided in gentle, flowing horizontal lines across the pages, her head resting on her pillow and her face toward the ceiling. As I recall her hands and arms moved with the fluid grace of a dance movement. She was reading in the dark as we all slept. I have never seen anything like that before and it was lovely to behold. I believe she was reading the book of Jeremiah, or another prophet.

Photo by Abigail Parker, used with permission.

The Caylee Protest Melee

It’s difficult to live in Florida without being aware of the disappearance of Caylee Anthony. My Mom lives in Central Florida, where this occurred, and has been following the story in the news due to sympathetic concern. This story has also made national headlines, so the chances are fairly certain that many throughout the USA have heard about it. It’s a sad story and it merits our prayerful concern, to be sure. I am also concerned about one other aspect of the case. For many reasons, this has caught people’s hearts and attention in such a way they feel a strong need for a public demonstration. This case has provoked many people to gather daily outside the home of the Anthony Family. Some gather in support, and some in protest of the Anthony’s, see here. There have been yelling matches and shoving confrontations outside their home, and none of it has done any good toward solving the mystery of what happened to this little girl. I urge those who feel compelled to protest (or support) the family, to really think hard about what they are doing, and what possible outcome it could provoke. If they still feel obliged to react in public, please review and adopt the non-violent and peaceful methods that Gandhi, Rev. Dr. King and many others used in protests. They have proven to be just as effective, if not more so, than the shouting and hoopla that have so far characterized the Caylee protests. Granted, Gandhi and Dr. King were protesting major and grave social injustices. Their campaigns were successful. How much more successful could these methods be if applied to those gathering in sad unity and outrage over the possible kidnapping or murder of this child? I think very effective. Please consider that while the Anthony family does appear suspicious, they are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. They are experiencing this loss and grief in a way most of us cannot imagine, and God forbid any of us should have to walk in their shoes. Please bear in mind that the entire neighborhood where the protests occur is impacted by the demonstrations. Many innocent bystanders are negatively effected by this, and they deserve consideration. How could the protest continue, but with the least amount of disruption to all of the neighbors? I beg the protesters to think hard about all of this. Why not adopt the non-violent and peaceful protest methods of Gandhi and Dr. King? If the point of protest is compassion for a little girl in peril, a silent and prayerful candlelight vigil is more productive than a messy screaming match. If the point is to show antagonism and suspicion toward the Anthony family, I believe a silent sit-in would be the most effective course of action. For those that suppose the Anthony’s guilt or compliance in the disappearance, wouldn’t a silent protest show that many are wary of them? Yet it would still be respectful of the grief that surrounds the entire situation, and show respect to the neighbors. Just imagine yourself in this situation - first as the Anthony’s, and then as the neighbors. How would you feel if this was going on outside your home and down your street?