Early this morning, I read about the attack in Barcelona, and I found myself weeping quietly as I prepared for the day of Walking. The almost commonplace violence we are experiencing right now felt like more than I could be with today. And so, at a friend’s suggestion, I decided to avoid any additional news for the day, and to put all of my energy into the Walk.
Early on in the day, I found myself visiting with a homeless gentleman who was sitting atop a plastic five-gallon paint bucket with a sign, asking for “spare anything?”. I was intrigued by the sign, and so I approached and offered him one of the sparkling waters I’d just picked up at the service station on the opposite corner. He rose, pulled another bucket from his stack of two, and offered me a seat. From there, our conversation zig zagged to many different topics. At one point, Jesse began to speak about the events in Charlottesville, and I asked him if we could just sit in silence for a moment rather than discussing the details of the weekend. He graciously agreed, and we just sat together quietly until it felt comfortable to begin talking again.
Tonight, the quiet feels important still. My thoughts are with the people of Barcelona, and all who were directly affected by the attack.
And, my heart is with the people of the world – holding for Peace.