As the sun was setting, you couldn't help but look up and be taken by the dappled light as it danced through the golden yellow and fire red leaves. It gave me such a warm, peaceful feeling as the day was coming to an end.
This morning I drove far into territory I had never been. Had the events of last week and the Amish tragedy not occurred, today's drive would not have been that remarkable. Somehow though the cosmos put a deposition in my lap that took me to Oxford, PA today. As I printed out my driving directions, I felt a strange tingle. They had me driving right through Bart and Nickel Mines...the little town where the shooting occurred. I passed by many buggies and Amish working with their horses, walking in their fields, even some older children were playing a game that kind of looked like tag. Many sign boards of businesses and churches spelled out sweet messages to the community such as, "Thank you for praying for our neighbors," and the like. It was a little surreal. What impacted me the most was this... all the wash lines were full of freshly laundered Amish clothes...and as I would gaze over at the farms, somehow seeing the little Amish girl dresses flapping in the breeze struck me. They were wonderful little pink, magenta, green, and blue little dress in between black pants, black socks, black aprons... with each house I passed I wondered to myself, "Does this house have one less girl to wash for, or is this house glad that it still has many little dresses flapping on the clothesline?" Then near the end of this town I passed a little house whose laundry was closer to the side of the road... but there were no colorful little dresses hanging... just adult-sized jet black women's dresses next to black pants and black socks. To me it just kind of pinched me inside. Life carries on there... a strength I doubt I would ever have if I were in their shoes. My world would stop turning if I ever had less little items of clothing to wash.
2 comments:
that picture of the fall foliage is beautiful!
to have been so close to that turmoil and tragedy...i really admire you for thinking the things that you do...i know it doesn't really make sense, but there are countless people that might not think all that much about it, you know?
I guess the fascination with the clotheslines is partly because each one tells a story. The men and boys in the families that lost children will be wearing white shirts and the women and girls will be wearing all black for the next year.
What a beautiful day though, huh? And the trees changing just sorta snuck up on me this year.
It is interesting that we saw very similar things today. Well, you know, great minds... !
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