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McKinley Park - more than what is seen

May 24, 2009

Posted in: culture & life oklahoma city, global, justice

What were you most aware of as we sat in the park together?

What did you see tonight?

There were so many beautiful moments–I had a hard time taking them all in. You answers above aren’t on a value scale. There isn’t one “seeing” more importan than the others.

Maybe you heard the laughter of the kiddos. Maybe it was the buzz of conversation. Or maybe your focus was on the one conversation that tugged at your soul–making the night matter right then and there. Maybe you saw the many groups that emerged onto the park grounds. Activity was everywhere. Or maybe it was the coolish breeze and the quiet still evening—fostering almost three hours together in the shade.

Honestly–it was all this and more for me. Thinking of our past years of doing this memorial day/park gathering and seeing the changes (all good) birthed in fusion. Most notably–McKinley park. This is where we need to be. Playing baseball/football with the neighborood kids (some Sudanese kiddos) - slowed the moment down for me. Not making it more than it was—but as I tossed the ball I imagined fusion life as a
natural integration into these kids lives and the life of the neighborhood. What does it mean to learn Alfred and Diondra’s names not for a moment but to walk alongside them as they grow up. What does it mean for us to naturally be in to the lives of the diverse communities represented — and for their lives to be in ours?

Just wondering.