Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Inauguration Day – Part 2

The woman just showed up at my door. Right when the tv was on showing future history in the making. Or so everyone is saying anyway. But if this cold shiny day was so historical, why wasn’t she somewhere at least watching this history-making event? As I was, who never really pays much attention to these things. As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve already seen too much of what people say, even Presidents taking office, that are not anything the same, or sometimes even similar, to what they do once the time for promises is deemed over.

I wonder if that was what she thought, this woman with the seemingly gentle spirit and dark skin. She didn’t even ring the doorbell. She just knocked, and patiently knocked again, all the while standing there on the sunny but very cold porch.

She smiled as she held out her tract relaying what I hope is her deepest belief. I sure hope so given her appearance in the frosty cold to suspicious strangers holding their doors only partially open. I hope she’s not deluding herself in this hard weather for less, questionable, beliefs.

I thought I understood some of these beliefs, having been accosted by less gentle folks than her over the years. Although I can’t remember any being as belligerent as some that have shown up on our doorstep uninvited, and rude. But even with her gentle-seeming voice and demeanor it did not convince me to open the door and invite her in. I already knew that those questions she said she had the answers to were not a part of my beliefs. But I was feeling the cold for me and her and was almost ready to reach out and take the tract she was holding out and talking about. I could already see myself dropping it into the recycle sack as I returned to my seat observing history in the making. But something in me took a quiet stand and I looked at her and gave her a big smile, saying quietly, “I don’t need it.” She smiled back, “You have a blessed day.” I replied, “You too.” And I shut the door on the cold. But not on the questions that she raised being on my porch on this historic of days.

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