| By Dr. Jan Realini One busy Saturday at the bus station, I heard a noise behind me. A woman had fallen and was moaning, and the other volunteers called me. I knelt close to the woman’s lips to listen to her complaints. Someone called 911, and I told her help was on the way. EMS arrived and evaluated her, finding everything normal. They had her sit up, and she felt better. All this time, she paid no attention to her children. Her son, about 6, was calling out “Mami! Mami!” and her daughter, about 2, was crying. One mother gathered the little one up into her lap, and another encircled the boy in her arms and gave him a rocking hug until he also settled down. By the time they boarded the bus, the woman was talking to her children — not much, but a little — and the others continued looking out for the kids. I’m not sure what was going on with this woman, possibly a panic attack — certainly, she had been through much trauma — but I was deeply affected by how the community came together at that moment. It was a community demonstration of love. They boarded their bus and continued on their very long journey with many obstacles still ahead of them, but words of love and comfort exchanged with their loved ones gave them hope and strength. |
Interfaith Welcome Coalition
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