Monday, March 24
Had breakfast with a friend at Busboys & Poets, a great new performance and dining place on U Street, not that far from Howard. From DC, I drove down to Charlottesville, Virginia, and spent some time with a retired ministerial colleague and his wife. Then I drove pretty much straight down to Atlanta, to spend time with my friend Rosetta. Arrived at about 1:00 Tuesday morning … by far the longest stretch of driving on the whole trip.
Tuesday, March 25
Woke up with the sun streaming through the window. Met some of Rosetta’s lovely Trinidadian friends who are also in the same spacious and well-appointed retirement community. Met my friend Jurgen from Switzerland for lunch at a Thai restaurant near Georgia Tech in Midtown. In the evening, Rosetta and I went for dinner at Nickiemoto’s, a trendy place with good food also in Midtown.Wednesday, March 26
I had my leftovers for breakfast, bought Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth on cd from Barnes & Noble, plus some other books, then gassed up and hit the road. I was going to pass through Birmingham, thinking I didn’t know anyone there, but then I remembered my history and made my way over to 16th Street Baptist Church. It wasn’t open, but there is a beautiful park with fearsome sculpture depicting the civil rights struggle, counter corner to the church, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is just cross the street from both the church and the park. I’m so glad I made the stop, inspired by the memory of the four little girls who were killed when the bomb went off at the church in 1963 … the actual date, I found out was September 15, which was my parents sixth wedding anniversary.
At the beginning of this 90-second clip, the focus is on the 16th Street Baptist Church, then pans around the garden walkway to the statue of Dr. King that faces the church.
I felt a surge as I crossed from Alabama into my home state. I didn’t kiss the ground, but I had a sense of connection and relationship to this place that was new again. I’d never made the drive before from Boston before. It was the end of the journey that had taken me from the Deep North to the Deep South. I was grateful not to have been in an accident, or stopped by traffic or had a flat tire … It was truly a gift to have traveled those hundreds of miles, and with such safety and ease. I arrived at my mother’s house at about 8:30, after stopping off at the Wal-Mart just off the highway.
I had listened to Tolle talking about the pain-body and its manifestations in our lives on the drive down. Now I ask the question of myself when I hear unhelpful chattering in my brain, “Is that the voice of my true self, or is that the voice of my pain-body?”
Thursday, March 27 and Friday, March 28
Just getting settled in at home, and looking forward to upcoming trips: Bought my Sweet Honey tickets for the concert at the Kahilu Theatre on the Big Island, and connected with my friends in LA that I will be staying with when I’m there. I also tended to the mail that’s been accumulating while I’ve been on the road. I noticed that I’m adding on more weight than I want, and it’s time to do some serious walking.
Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30
I got to spend time with my toddler niece, and with my younger brother and his wife. I’m just amazed at how she’s grown, that she’s walking so well and working on her first words … and just as beautiful and bright as anything. The same is true of my cousin’s daughter, who was christened at our home church Sunday morning. Afterwards, most of the family came over for dinner. I made mac & cheese … I hadn’t done that in a while, but it still turned out well.
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