Oooo Child

This morning I write you from the Melissa Ann, the Vashon foot ferry. It's really funny how hard it is to not cry now.

Apparently I don't really cry at funerals when surrounded by other crying people, my tears tend to come out when no one else around me is crying, when I'm on a boat or at my desk, or when I'm all alone.

I came to Vashon to say goodbye to a very amazing and special person, who was a friend to anyone that ever met her. And though there was only one year of my life that I was ever around her to feel her influence, her influence was deep and strong enough that I knew I had to come out here.

I remember when I first met her, I kept thinking, and I'm sure I even told her once, that she reminded me of someone I knew, but I could never figure out who. Last night at the memorial service and I watched a slide show of pictures of her life, I had that same feeling. I kept thinking, you remind me of someone, someone I've known for years, who? Who do you remind me of? In the end, I determined she must just have reminded me of her.

Perhaps I knew her in the pre existance, perhaps I didnt. Perhaps she was just someone who had a big spirit that you instantly felt was your ali and friend.

It's never easy to say good bye to such a person, no matter how well you knew them, or didnt.

But as I sat there, unable to really cru amongst the crying, I just felt like, Enough already!! Enough of this people dying business, enough of this people going missing business, enough of people hating and misunderstanding eachother! Enough hiding our struggles and shutting eachother out. I've had enough. Life is short, and precious and the most precious thing in it is the people that surround us.

Why do we let politics, or differences divide us so much? Why do we let religion divide us? Why do we let little things come between us? Why can we spend more time trying to love and understand eachother and less time judging and pushing eachother?

The consensus last night, I would say, that the most amazing thing about my friend, was how she made everyone feel loved, and welcome. I hope I can be a bit more like that.  Its never  a successful way to bring someone to your line of thinking by making them feel judged or maligned for their differences, so why do we do that? Why do we think that's ever anything but destructive and hurtful to everyone involved?  Why can't we all just love eachother more, and show it?

Let's make today the day we go out and smile at a stranger, the day we reach out and love and understand eachother, the day we put judgements, and fear and hatred away and just help things be easier and brighter. 

I want to believe that song. That one I woke up with in my head. "Ooo child, things are gonna get easier, ooo child things will get brighter"