In what seemed to me like the longest January on record, here’s a glimpse of quiet moments that stuck with me:
Mid-month, Dave and I jumped in the car on a whim and drove up the road to Spencer, NC. We were hoping to arrive in time to see the Texas monks on their walk to Washington DC. Like many of you, we’d followed them online as their journey for peace, unity, and compassion unfolded.
We pulled into town just in time.
Throngs of people lined the sidewalks on both sides of South Salisbury Avenue, awaiting the monks’ arrival. As we found our places in the crowd, the monks began their walk up a slight hill into the downtown.
Aside from some quiet applause, the huge crowd kept a respectful silence. Some of the monks nodded or gently waved. A few of the walkers accepted or offered flowers. And then they rounded the drive and disappeared into the Transportation Museum grounds, where they’d rest over lunch.
Fifteen minutes after we’d parked the car, we were back in it, quiet and delighted, and headed to our own lunch at College Bar-Be-Que. An unexpected sense of calm had settled over the two of us, just as it had seemed to spread among the people with whom we’d stood, shoulder to shoulder, waiting and watching.
A couple of Saturdays later, we sat in our den, watching a snowfall for the ages descend around us. We haven’t seen many storms like that since arriving in Davidson nearly 30 years ago, and I’d forgotten the stillness that comes in the middle of such storms. No passing cars. The birds gone quiet as the hours pass and the snow falls.
Thank goodness for the hushed moments that revealed themselves in January despite what remain extraordinarily disquieting times. Here’s what emerged when we embraced the silence:
- Four local high school students and their parents stepped forward to help clear driveways, sidewalks, and home accessibility ramps for elders in the West Davidson neighborhood that surrounds our office.
- Two anonymous donors pledged a gift that will replace a roof—no strings attached—on a house that makes a home for people with deep roots in Davidson.
- The stars aligned with our waitlist to enable us to offer a safe, attractive housing option for a member of our community on the brink of homelessness.
- Another anonymous donor surfaced to serve as a catalyst for our ongoing capital improvement efforts at The Bungalows. Stay tuned for a very happy announcement toward the end of this month.
As DHC contemplates the coming year, we’re focused on creating more space for peace, unity, and compassion. We will continue speaking up. We will continue reaching out. We will continue offering and supporting ideas and actions that build authentic community. And to get there, we will continue to search out and embrace the quiet resolve that opens paths forward for us all, together.