America - Day 10
I have thought long and hard about the young man in white who moved me on from outside the big white house. His face clean shaven and smooth complexioned, The tall young man with his gun belt and his ironed white shirt that made him look whiter than white in the afternoon sun. Him on his own, but confident, with a gold embroidered badge which said 'United States Secret Service'. His mother loves him, probably very much. A young man doing his duty, reaching the best in his profession. Doing what some people could not do or would not do. Being prepared to lay down his life for others. Doing his job the best way he knows and the best way he can, putting all his energy into the defence of the nation. Some, maybe most Americans will love him very much. The young man in white; once weak.
The secret service people looking after the president were embarrassed recently. Someone climbed over the fence outside the white house and went into the president's home, unchallenged. Oops. Things don't always work out the way we think they should. I'm told that a good number of the street homeless people in America are veterans. You can see the badges some of them wear. Sometimes their minds are unwell, sometimes they are physically disabled. Sometimes maybe they just want to sleep outside.
I did a metro journey today into the centre of Washington DC with a coach load of people, most of them looked as though they were going to work. One of them was not. He was busy fighting demons - and loudly. He wasn't drunk, he just wasn't well and none of us could help him. He was shouting about land-mines, booby traps, money and Saddam Hussain. I wondered about his story.
I wonder what will become of the young man in white. White is the colour of martyrs. The gospel of Mark has a young man in white, in the tomb where Jesus was laid. When the women came to look for Jesus' body, the young man in white tells them 'he is not here'. 'Go back to Galilee as he told you' the young man says to the women. 'he will meet you there, just as he said'. Back home, where we started, go back and start again, just keep doing what he's told us to do and we will meet him.....
I have thought long and hard about the young man in white who moved me on from outside the big white house. His face clean shaven and smooth complexioned, The tall young man with his gun belt and his ironed white shirt that made him look whiter than white in the afternoon sun. Him on his own, but confident, with a gold embroidered badge which said 'United States Secret Service'. His mother loves him, probably very much. A young man doing his duty, reaching the best in his profession. Doing what some people could not do or would not do. Being prepared to lay down his life for others. Doing his job the best way he knows and the best way he can, putting all his energy into the defence of the nation. Some, maybe most Americans will love him very much. The young man in white; once weak.
The secret service people looking after the president were embarrassed recently. Someone climbed over the fence outside the white house and went into the president's home, unchallenged. Oops. Things don't always work out the way we think they should. I'm told that a good number of the street homeless people in America are veterans. You can see the badges some of them wear. Sometimes their minds are unwell, sometimes they are physically disabled. Sometimes maybe they just want to sleep outside.
I did a metro journey today into the centre of Washington DC with a coach load of people, most of them looked as though they were going to work. One of them was not. He was busy fighting demons - and loudly. He wasn't drunk, he just wasn't well and none of us could help him. He was shouting about land-mines, booby traps, money and Saddam Hussain. I wondered about his story.
I wonder what will become of the young man in white. White is the colour of martyrs. The gospel of Mark has a young man in white, in the tomb where Jesus was laid. When the women came to look for Jesus' body, the young man in white tells them 'he is not here'. 'Go back to Galilee as he told you' the young man says to the women. 'he will meet you there, just as he said'. Back home, where we started, go back and start again, just keep doing what he's told us to do and we will meet him.....