Wednesday, January 10, 2007

My Kind of People

She stood looking up into the dark sky accepting the kisses of the snowflakes. Her face carried the signs of almost 60 years but it also carried an expression of – what? Happiness? Excitement? Pleasure? Hope? Perhaps it was all of these and other good emotions.

“You’re enjoying this way too much!” I said.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” she replied, drawing out the sentence and emphasizing the word beautiful.

I agreed that it was indeed a beautiful morning – dark skies, two inches of clean white snow and large flakes floating down in the early light.

Their tracks came from the small white plain building with the large simple banner that proclaims “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way!”.

I’ve always been curious about this society – The Society of Friends.

“Do you go to church here?”

She looked at her friend with hesitation and uncertainty. “Go ahead” the friend said. “Tell him.”

“I’m a twelve-stepper and they let us hold our meetings here.”

“I understand” was my reply. “I have several in my family.”

The truth is that I don’t have any in my family at the moment. I have had some over the years and have some who should be attending AA meetings but don’t. These details weren’t important at the moment. Giving her affirmation was.

There’s something wrong in a world of quiet snowy beauty when a person is hesitant to admit they have a problem and are conquering it.

There’s something right in a world of struggling people when a group calls itself “Friends” and shuns cathedrals and advocates peace and opens its building to early morning meetings of people in need of a chance and encouragement.

I’m going to visit this group some morning, The Friends and recovering alcoholics who stop to enjoy an early morning snow are my kind of people.

5 Comments:

Blogger Buffalo said...

"She stood looking up into the dark sky accepting the kisses of the snowflakes."

Sweet! Tastes good on my tongue.

1/10/2007 09:36:00 AM  
Blogger Alex Pendragon said...

Could you ship me a bushel or two of snowflakes?

1/10/2007 07:22:00 PM  
Blogger Anvilcloud said...

That's a very poignant little piece. Well done!

1/11/2007 08:47:00 AM  
Blogger Kindness said...

very touching... sent me back to the days when i rode my bicycle through the historical Friends Western Yearly Meeting grounds in the small town where i first began to grow. your post sent me on an unexpected search for the organization. found it. thank you.

1/15/2007 11:46:00 AM  
Blogger MojoMan said...

There is a small group (Usually 1 to 3)of Quakers that stand a peace vigil for an hour at the main intersection of our town every Wednesday night. They have been doing this since the very beginning of the war, in all kinds of weather. These are special people indeed.

1/20/2007 05:16:00 AM  

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