A few things that matter — chicken livers, DNA, \u00a0and perseverance<\/p>\n
There\u2019s so much going on in the world \u2013 such violence, fear mongering, deceit, pig-headed focus on profit and the mighty dollar \u2026 That I need to remind myself of the good.\u00a0 The things that matter.\u00a0 Things that matter can come in elaborate packages \u2013 and simple ones.<\/p>\n
First, my ordinary, every-day example of the kindness of strangers. \u00a0Traveling across the country, I watch for gas stations that have a small deli or hot food section. The ones out West serve incredible Mexican food; here in the South, you can get great fried chicken, turnips and cornbread.\u00a0 (My favorite serves tomato gravy at breakfast!) \u00a0I enjoy going to places where I meet real people \u2013 working people \u2013 people without airs.\u00a0 And I often encounter them at these small food delis (as well as laundromats, truck stops and rest areas).\u00a0 I was in my truck, on the way to look at RVs (another story), and too hungry to keep going.\u00a0 I knew this particular Circle K had really good food, so I stopped.\u00a0 It was 12:30, and I was #7 in line, with that many more behind me.\u00a0 With one exception, the line was made up of men with sweat-stained shirts, weather-worn faces, and bodies that spoke of hard manual labor.\u00a0 They included friends and strangers in their friendly banter and ordered hearty, inexpensive meals. I stood behind the only other woman; I was in my standard jeans and T-shirts; she was wearing a nondescript green cotton uniform with a couple of letters, of no significance to me, embroidered on the front. She stood about 5ft 2 inches tall and was built like a stump \u2013 a strong body that in generations past would have plowed a field beside the toughest male. \u00a0I asked this stranger if she knew how many sides came with a dinner.\u00a0 She explained she was in the area on a job assignment but she\u2019d heard the food was good; she was going to order fried chicken livers. \u00a0I responded, \u201cMy mom loved chicken livers.\u201d\u00a0 We joked; she explained she was in the food service business and could tell from the smell that these were good livers.\u00a0 After she paid, she opened her Styrofoam container and said, \u201cI\u2019ve got plenty.\u00a0 You gotta have one of these.\u201d\u00a0 And she handed me one of her chicken livers!!\u00a0 I took it with a surprised laugh and said, \u201cI haven\u2019t had one of these since my mom died in 1999.\u201d \u00a0She said, \u201cHush.\u00a0 You gonna make me cry.\u201d\u00a0 I stood right there in the middle of the gas station and ate the fried chicken liver; it was full of memories, smells, and tasted just like my mama\u2019s did.\u00a0 She was sitting in her car when I went outside; I stopped to say thanks, again.\u00a0 We talked a bit.\u00a0 Samon introduced herself and explained she works at the prison in Bay County, teaching cooking, and was in this area overseeing the food service at the local prison.\u00a0 Samon explained that she feeds the men, helps them learn a trade and manage their finances, and talks with them about how to live without crime.\u00a0 She said, \u201cIt matters that someone listens to them.\u201d\u00a0 When I told her I was a retired Judge, she just laughed.\u00a0 We talked about how, in our professions, we each tried to treat those we met with dignity and respect.\u00a0 I said I seldom had a problem with an inmate in the courtroom. She laughed and said, \u201cI tell them \u2013 I have 7 brothers.\u00a0 I grew up with professional boxers, kick boxers.\u00a0 What you gonna do to me?\u00a0 Give me your best shot.\u201d\u00a0 I had a bailiff; she has confidence and an easy laugh. We share a respect for their humanity, regardless of the circumstances that brought them to that place.\u00a0 Standing in the asphalt parking lot of a gas station in the Deep South, I met a real person.\u00a0 As I walked away, I said, \u201cI love you, lady.\u00a0 And I just met you.\u201d\u00a0 She called back, \u201cWe could be good friends.\u201d\u00a0 I called out, \u201cYes! And I\u2019d love for my granddaughter to meet you!\u201d \u00a0I came home to my dog, Misty, and told her with a big smile, \u201cShe gave me one of her chicken livers!\u201d\u00a0 Real people matter.<\/p>\n
And then a couple of good things, on a much broader scale.\u00a0 I read today in the Florida Bar News<\/em> about the Innocence Project of Florida, a nonprofit group that provides legal representation for the wrongfully imprisoned.\u00a0 This was the story of James Bain who was released after 35 years in a Florida prison for a rape that DNA testing and legal defense clearly demonstrated he did not commit.\u00a0 He went into prison at age 18.\u00a0 It\u2019s easy to get lost in the horror of those years lost; it\u2019s important to applaud and support those who do the hard work to bring such injustices to light. \u00a0Mr. Bain\u2019s story ran on page 18; for me, it was more real, more important than the preceding pages of stories about elections and politics.<\/p>\n Today I read about the El Salvador Projects, sponsored by the Palo Alto Friends (Quaker) Meeting, Palo Alto, CA.\u00a0 El Salvador holds the grisly title of the most violent country in the world among countries where no war is going on; it leads the world in violent deaths per capital.\u00a0 And, rather than returning to live safely with us State-side, Robert Broz chooses to live in El Salvador to follow through with the work his mother Carmen began which includes initiatives in child care, maternal and child health, early education, community development and support for higher education for young people from poor rural families. \u00a0\u00a0Robert does not try to understate the problems or risks in El Salvador, yet he explains \u201cEvery child whose dream is made real, every family that takes a significant step away from the desperation of poverty into a more secure future, every young adult whose path leads to a role of positive service and leadership in the community \u2013 each of these demonstrates to others that there are realistic alternatives to despair.\u201d More info at Facebook Palo Alto Friends Meeting El Salvador Project and www.pafmelsalvadorprojects.org<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s good to be reminded that there is good out there. \u00a0And, Samon, thanks again for the chicken liver; you never know what a simple act of kindness can mean to a stranger.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A few things that matter — chicken livers, DNA, \u00a0and perseverance There\u2019s so much going on in the world \u2013 such violence, fear mongering, deceit, pig-headed focus on profit and the mighty dollar \u2026 That I need to remind myself … Continue reading