Friday, June 16, 2006

The Circle Will be Unbroken

U.S. military opens probe of three deaths in custody

Meanwhile, here in Wolftown...

...lovely wife (LW), youngest daughter (YD), and I took a blanket to the town commons last night to hear the bluegrass gospel group Jesse Jenkins & The Blue Valley Boys [you want a link? are you kidding?]. Dozens of local families dotted the commons stretching out in front of the old library building, a wide and lush lawn of thick grass surrounded by towering elms. They stood around the edges, sat in old lawn chairs. and lay clustered on blankets. A cool breeze delivered the sweet gospel melodies to men in ball caps with calloused hands and suspenders arcing around generous bellies, ladies in print dresses and support hose, and the aging crunchy hippies who could smoke their clothes to get high. Children and dogs cavorted between the distinct groups while polite applause, its sound muffled in the open air, thanked the Boys in the bandstand after each tune. I took in the ebb and flow of quiet chatter, distant laughter, and nods of recognition to friends in the crowd; minor details without significance if they were just about this particular moment. But, they weren't; they were part of the unbroken conversation of humanity that began with our first words. Being in that dialog and comprehending its full richness is a gift indeed.