at 3:30 this afternoon

[zyzyly]

I'm sitting on the Santa Monica pier, thumbing through a book on Sudan, and listening to a street musician playing guitar. I have been here for a while, after seeing a photography exhibit at a local museum. It was an exhibit on the genocide that occurred in Rwanda in 1992, and the genocide that is currently occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan. I went there to see a photography exhibit on the LA river, but, by chance, found this instead. The photographs were taken by a woman named Michal Ronnen Safdie.




I spent an hour sitting with the pictures. On a bench in the middle of the exhibit was a book about Sudan. There were lots of pictures in the book, and a commentary on the pictures by an author named Anne Lamott. As chance would have it, the book on my bedside table back at the hotel is by her--Blue Shoe. She writes well.

I'm sitting on the Santa Monica Pier, listening to a street musician and thumbing through a book on Sudan--a copy of the same book I found on the bench in the museum. I found it in the gift shop and bought it to read while I wait here.

I'm waiting to go to a presentation this evening, just a few blocks from where I'm sitting, by a group called Médecins Sans Frontières (doctors without borders). MSF provides medical care in areas where no one else will--places like the Darfur region of Sudan.

I hadn't been planning to go to this, but a week ago, one of my friends suggested I look into what they do. I checked out their website, and, by coincidence, they were having a recruitment presentation tonight--at the same time I was going to be down here.

Some of the pictures I saw today were taken in places where they provide care.

There was one photograph in the exhibit that moved me in a very particular way. It was of a group of children. They reminded me of my nieces and nephews. They were sitting in a makeshift tent in a refugee camp. They had the most beautiful smiles.



Anne Lamott has this to say:

The opportunity to alleviate some of (their) suffering begins with LOOKING. It begins with a willingness to notice, and then noticing for as long as we can bear; to look until you feel joy at the sweetness of these faces..."

As I looked at these sweet, familiar faces in the exhibit room, I felt Arlina standing next to me, squeezing my arm the way she always did when she wanted to make sure I was paying attention to something important.

I'm sitting on the Santa Monica pier, thumbing through a book on Sudan, and listening to a street musician playing Bob Dylan's Blowing in the Wind on an old beat-up guitar. He plays with feeling.



how many times can a man turn his head,
pretending he just doesn't see?

I'm sitting on the Santa Monica pier, thinking about a little boy standing in a refugee camp with a toy made out of scrap, wondering what brought me to this moment, and wondering where it is taking me.



the answer my friend,
is blowing in the wind.
the answer is blowing in the wind

Comments

[pinkroo.livejournal.com]

wow. wow.

[detroitfather.livejournal.com]

That is a lot of synchronicity there. The girl in the pink dress reminds me a bit of my daughter.

I ran a 10K race once right there in Santa Monica. When I went into the men's room at the beach, to change into my running gear, I found an entire homeless family (man, woman, and kids) living in there. There was a different family in the ladies room. I felt very odd going into their space to change clothes.

A lot to see, yes, and easy to look away.

[one4k4.livejournal.com]

"how many times can a man turn his head,
pretending he just doesn't see?"

...ever wonder if this is why we can't turn our heads a full 360 degrees? So that when we put our back to something we know we physically cannot see it; so it mustn't exist anymore...

[myasma.livejournal.com]

It seems to be unfolding still. someone I sat next to at teh MSF presentation gave me a website to look at, and it has led me even further. I'll probably write about it.

[pinkroo.livejournal.com]

I would love to hear more about it~

[amaebi.livejournal.com]

So you're experiencing a bunch of synchronicity and omen....

Are you feeling inspired? Called? Fated? Happy? Satisfied? Doomed?

(she asked as if it were her business)

[myasma.livejournal.com]

A little of all of those!

[blistermoth.livejournal.com]

*smiles*

[myasma.livejournal.com]

:)

[cobaltika.livejournal.com]

[[shiver]]

synchronicity is always a magic.

onward...

[myasma.livejournal.com]

It is. And it always seems so----right.

[franciscan.livejournal.com]

I like Santa Monica, and I have encountered many of the poor there. Talked to a guy who lived in his van once. He mentioned that the Santa Monica police seem to target the homeless who live in their cars, making up something to ticket them for. There was a boycott of Von's a while back. And I also know some residents who are socially conscious and wanting to make changes for the better. It is a remarkable area.

[myasma.livejournal.com]

There were a lot of homeless people camped out in the park, and it seemed as if they were not disturbed, at least while I was there. But they all seemed so beaten down--they wouldn't make eye contact even when I talked to them.

I noted that someone had placed cans of food at various places--for the hungry, I think. I found that encouraging.

[myasma.livejournal.com]

As I was writing my reply a moment ago, another bob Dylan song was playing on the radio--a version of The Times They Are A-Changin', by Keb Mo.

I was struck by the words:
"For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'."

[franciscan.livejournal.com]

I really like Keb Mo's music.

[zhenzhi.livejournal.com]

uh huh..... :-) i can really imagine you doing this work. they are a really fine orginisation i believe. :-)

[myasma.livejournal.com]

they are!

[(Anonymous)]

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[(Anonymous)]

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