A Weekend of Peacemaking: Mother's Day

This would have been a very difficult day for me if I had not been asked by Pax Christi Baltimore and DC chapter to speak at a Conference called "The Cross or the Flag" A deconstruction of the Just War Theory.

Jason is living and working in Chicago as reported earlier on my blog. I received no communication/card/call from him. It would have been very difficult had I been home alone on Mother's Day. Next year I think I will be with Lisa in Florida or where ever. I need to be with my family more and more even as I try to live "alone" for the first time in my life.

I visited Assisi house in DC, a block from the Catholic Worker where I stayed. Rent would be $600 a month that includes utilities and computer hook up. Not sure if they have a TV. I would get a bedroom, use of common space, a community to give me feedback on "who I am" and the freedom to be involved in peacemaking-probably with Pax Christi and the Catholic Worker. Assisi house has men living in it-priests so they do not have women presiders. But that could be something I could work toward.

The highlight for me was meeting Dr. Patch Adams (watch the movie with Robin Williams playing him.) Patch's dress is that of a clown and he was in full costume. Imagine: Stuffed chicken hat, red clown nose, 1/2 of his waist length pony tail dyed blue, an outlandish pink shirt covered with "patches" and a balloon skirt! Also he wore clown shoes. Patch lost his brother in Vietnam and is very pro-peace. Patch travels the world working to establish health care systems. He has a project here in the US that he hopes will be open in 2009. It is a different health care facility. I am sorry, I don't have details but I am sure you could go on line to find them and donate toward it. Patch lived in the DC area and has been active with Codepink. Patch and a grandmother, now 80 and arrested many times for peace, led off the parade We marched through the Dupont Circle neighborhood giving out flowers and a copy of Juliet Ward Howe's Proclamation for Mother's Day after the Civil War.

After we went to the house and ate dinner, talked for awhile and I headed to the Catholic Worker and a quiet evening before heading for Chicago on Monday morning.

I was a little taken aback as I remembered Dupont Circle and Jason and my trips there. Jason brought his Keen's at Comfort shoes and also glasses I believe. The memories are there but Sunday they brought me no pain. Just "oh, that is where Jason bought his shoes." My heart is always tender but the reality of our non relationship holds me steady. I pray for healing and reconciliation and my feelings move on.

The rain held off until after we were done. It began to rain as a couple of us were walking the labyrinth at a nearby Episcopal church. A wonderful experience as I prayed for peace and healing for myself, Jason, all soldiers and civilians wounded because of the war in Iraq. I feel like I have so much "stuff" I need to pare my life down to the essence of peacemaking. I need to focus on getting rid of stuff as I am in Chicago until I leave on vacation the very end of June.

Godde blessing me. I misread my flight out and thought it left at 1 PM, not 12. I got to the airport with a 1/2 to spare! No problems with trains or with checking luggage or with security. Thanks be to Godde! as I have had many a problem with National's TSA when I was at WRAMC (Walter Reed) and traveled through it frequently. Got on the flight and made it home in time to attend the monthly MFSO support meeting and dinner at the legendary Heartland Restaurant in Rogers Park. We meet once month to share our stories and support one another. A psychologist who is working with 80+ veterans also is attending. She is great. Services are available for our soldiers but she says better outreach must be done to get to them. The attempted suicide rate as reported by the VA mental health center is now at 1000 per month. We all know they will be successful!

Of course, I also need to complete the divorce. Nothing received in the mail, I will call my lawyer on Thursday as I do each week for an "update."