Go in Peace

 

In my short walk with Harry Sunday morning I noticed that the cornerstone for a portion of Berkley High School had been laid in 1948.  Must have been commensurate with the birth of friend Considine, just now celebrating his 72nd.  Further as we ambled along, noticed the sounds of singing voices near the school and thought it was some outdoor choir rehearsal.  We rounded the corner of Catalpa and Henley and realized it was drive up service sponsored by the Cana Lutheran/Greenfield Methodist churches.  The weather had not yet broken and pleasant breezes wafted by.  I started a conversation with a congregant standing on the sidewalk and she explained to me what was going on.

This was their first outdoor effort at worship and the minister was standing on the tailgate of a pickup truck.  The musical participants were playing Peaceful Easy Feeling written by the Eagles and there were about 50 cars there for the service.  I learned that with the magic of technology, the whole thing was being piped thru the car radios.  I also learned that a brief toot on the horn signified an Amen response.  When the communion section arrived, the folks in their cars partook of wine (or grape juice) the brought with bread.   As his closing remarks, he said "go in peace", simple yet poignant.

Priests said Mass on the hoods of jeeps during wartime and Jesus probably spoke to crowds outside many times.  There is a certain tranquility of winds blowing and birds singing amidst inspirational words that lifts a person up much more than being surrounded by stained glass, pictures and statues. Please bear in mind that I no longer have any religious leanings. Raised a Catholic, I felt embraced by the faith not threatened, life later jaded me.  However, this was a nice, comfortable event and I might get a lawn chair and go again.

We have been visiting Kensington Metropark in the last couple of days with our grand kids.  What a lovely nature trail with little creatures that are so accustomed to humans that they will eat out of your hand.  On the road to get there, we passed the site of the former Ford Wixom Assembly plant on Wixom Road.  I really cut my selling teeth in this facility and made some truly great friends there.  It gave me pause to see the once bustling 

city of production buildings now replaced by Menards and other retail outlets.  

These cute little guys are Tyler and Paxton who joined us for today's visit to the park with their parents.  We provided them with a bag of bird seed and they were off on their adventure of chipmunk feeding and bird viewing.  What a delight.  If you get the opportunity to visit this wonderful place, do it.  Its worth the effort and cost.  

The passing of Congressman John Lewis was the loss of a true hero that all of us can learn from.  I  listened to a recent interview with him and was moved by the personal strength of this man.  No blame, only an honorable, forgiving soul; truly a hole in the heart of our country.

I learned today that we lost a resident of our complex in a pedestrian accident about a block away.  The driver of the car did not see him.  I remember his quick wit and his presence outside enjoying the sunshine.  Please be careful as a driver and as a walker.

all for now

stay safe