Tuesday, February 27, 2007

WRITING, WRITING, AND MORE WRITING...

Today is Tuesday and I am spending the day writing an essay and finishing up the three sermons required of me by by Thursday.

I remember the days years ago when I would hurry home from school to write. Poetry, short stories, the introductory chapters of a number of novels filled spiral bound notebooks that formed piles in my room. I have never written about racism regularly as required by this process. At first it had seemed artificial and I struggled to identify the ways I encountered racism in the world. I had wondered if I would have enough experience with racism to fill 28 days of journaling.

I live in a world where it is very easy to avoid thinking, writing, and acting against racism. I see very few people of color in my local grocery store and my home is so rural that I do not see any neighbors for days regardless of their color. My travels to Cambridge are the only times I have what I call fellowship with people of color.

In these few days of journaling I have come to realize that I covet these relationships. The people of color I know are a blessing to me and I could not begin to imagine life without them. I have come to question so much that lives inside me and I know that there is much work to do within myself and in the world.

My companions in this journey have been wonderful guides. This is territory that they have travelled before and they know the scenery. The excitement of discovery for them is long gone. They wait respectfully for me to get my bearings and they stand close by as I struggle to make my way through this strange territory.

Exploring my own racism has been a time in the wilderness and I wonder if this is a journey that I will complete or if it will last a lifetime.

Time will tell.