Post Script to "I remember.."

A long-time friend of mine from Albuquerque, Ruth (an American physician), spent her childhood in India -- with a missionary minister father and physician mother.  She had this to say about an experience she had as a child:

"Hard to believe you were around then.  I was too, but half way around the world. I remember an incident on the drive to Mobile, Alabama from Indiana to catch the ship [freighter] back to India after the war.   We were already crowded into a small jeep, but Dad stopped and offered an old gentleman [negro as we called them in those days] a ride.   He tipped his hat, thanked us kindly and said he was fine walking.  He would have been lynched or beaten if he had taken us up on the ride.   

When we got to town we stopped at the bus depot to use their toilets. Instead of going to the white section, my folks went thru the black waiting room to the toilets.   Someone [a black] kindly pointed out that the white section was 'over there’.   And my mother replied we were just fine where we were [or some such]!  I’m sure we [those damn northerners] were followed out of town by the sheriff, to make sure we were just passing thru and not there to make trouble.   I’m not sure how my parents explained it to us re the bathrooms other than to say the blacks were made to use their 'own toilets', but they did say the old gentleman would have been in trouble if he had accepted our offer for the ride.   Since we were usually the only whites for several miles around, among all those Indians, I never thought anything re being with colored folk. 

And I even remember offering a man [German] my candy bar on a train, and he declined as the person spoke up who was escorting them to some camp.   I surely didn’t think my mother’s explanation indicated the necessity of them having to go to special camps, and nor did she.  And that he couldn’t accept my candy bar was the height of stupidity on the part of Americans!!"

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Her story reminds me of a friend I had in Waco back in the 50s telling me that her family lived in East Texas, and that during WWII there was a German POW camp near their home. She said that the German prisoners frequently escaped and came through their country property. Once, one knocked on the door and her mother gave him some food. He was so young, her mothering instincts kicked in. Kindness knows no color or nationality.

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Mea culpa! I reported in my last blog that yesterday was Earth Day. I wondered why I saw nothing on the news of people celebrating the Earth yesterday! It's because it's today! This morning I read one of my favorite blogs by a minister in the Appalachians.  She happens to be on vacation in Scotland at this time, but manages to get a brief blog post out every day. This one is such a unique thought that I want to share it with you.  The name of her blog is "If Beth had a blog..": http://ifbethhadablog.blogspot.com/ I think she pleases God with her poetry, her sense of humor, and her keen understanding of what it is to be human on this planet.

The little wren and her mate are busy, as they have a nest going in my wren house on the front porch. Put some birdseed out for the birds.. or catch a bug and feed a wren! It's not too late..  Happy Earth Day!

Peace and love,

Marilyn