My son Zachary shared this story with me recently: last weekend, during the gorgeous Spring weather (especially appreciated by all after the days of rain that preceded it!), he decided to take a book to Central Park to read and people-watch in the sun. The park was crowded, but the vibes were good. Everyone was enjoying the liberating feeling of being outside.
Zachary made himself at home on a bench, comfortable with his iced coffee and his reading material. People rotated through inhabiting the empty spaces on either side of where he was sitting. Eventually, a couple approached the bench next to him. They were carrying paper bags with food from a deli and getting ready to share some al fresco brunch and conversation. But before they sat down one of them said, “Wait! Let’s see who we’re spending time with today.”
My son thought they were referring to him and prepared to say hello. But before he could extend his hand to greet the strangers, they leaned forward to look closely at one of the slats on the back of the bench. Of course! That bench, like so many in Central Park, included a memorial dedication plate. The friends read the name engraved there out loud, said hello, and then sat down and commenced their picnic.
This small, intentional gesture acknowledged a larger reality. We exist in a flow of past, present and future. The great cloud of witnesses surrounding us created the context of our past and sustain us in our present. Circumstances can link us with people we have never met. A commemoration of one single person—or any act of love—can ripple out to touch lives in a future beyond what we can know or envision today.
Blessings for the connected joy and mystery of Eastertide,
