no coincidences

Fortunately, I was in town on Monday when the church sent the word of this ceremony.

"Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church isn't giving up hope that gun violence will someday be greatly diminished. In an effort to call attention to the unmet need for tighter regulations and to honor the nineteen people who have been shot and killed this year in Chatham County, Asbury Memorial will affix orange ribbons to the church's courtyard fence on Henry Street - one for each victim. Children who have died will be represented with a lighter shade of orange ribbon. This demonstration of faith and respect is slated for 2.00pm on Wednesday, July 1, with a ceremonial ribbon tying, a few comments and prayer. The congregation also will incorporate the ribbons' placement into its July 5 worship services."

I was drawn to attend. I found myself writing the event on a Post-It, but instead of affixing the memo to my kitchen cabinet, as I usually would have done, I left it by my computer.
There, it reminded me each time I checked email, popped onto facebook, blogged of my recent travels.
Then, July 1st arrived.
I found myself suddenly fighting the push to actually go to the ceremony.
I knew I was being pushed.
That meant this was very important, this was something I was meant to do... this was an event which may overpower my emotions.
Knowing all of that, still I was being pushed!
So, I went, arriving after the tying on of the ribbons, but in time to join in on the call and response.
That's me, bottom left in the above photo, in the white shirt, with my hair in a ponytail.

***** ***** *****

Rev. Hester had selected one of his previous litanies for the call and response portion of this ceremony. This one demonstrates his longstanding, and continuing, commitment to stop deaths due to gunshot.

A LITANY ON THE TRAGEDY OF GUN VIOLENCE
(Written for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2010)

One: We celebrate and give thanks for the life and witness of the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

All:
who proclaimed a vision of all people living together,
and who bore witness to the power of nonviolence.

One: We gather to remember his words, his commitment, his life, and
to rededicate ourselves to addressing the evil of gun violence

All:
which claimed his life and which continues to plague our
country and the world.

One: Some 30,000 Americans die by guns each year in the U.S.

All:
And we grieve.

One: An average of eighty people are killed by guns every day,
including eight children.

All:
And our hearts break.

One: An American child is twelve times more likely to die by a gun
than are the children who live in all twenty-five industrialized
nations combined.

All:
And we weep.

One: The annual economic cost of gun violence in America is estimated
to at least $100 billion. Medical costs, decimated families, the
court system, our jails and prisons, and security measures in
airports, schools, and public buildings all contribute to this sum.

All:
And sorrow sweeps over us.

One: Since JFK was assassinated in 1963, more Americans have died
by gunfire within our own country than American servicemen
and women who were killed in all our wars of the 20th century.

All:
And we pray.

One: Faced with gun violence,

All:
We grieve for those who are killed and those whose lives are
forever changed; We seek to comfort those who have lost
loved ones; We pray for a change of heart for those who
resort to violence.

One: Faced with gun violence, may we

All:
Educate; Organize; Advocate;
And in all the ways we can, work for that day when guns and
weapons of destruction are transformed into instruments of
healing.

One: May it be so.

All:
May we so do.

***** ***** *****

There followed some remarks by Rev. Hester. Then, Mayor Edna Jackson also spoke, asking the community to help end gun violence.
I had not known that there have been 19 deaths by gunshot, in Chatham County alone, so far this year.
Eighteen of the ribbons of remembrance had already been tied onto the courtyard fence, with lighter colors for killed children. As the 19th ribbon was tied in place in front of the tv cameras, Rev. Hester began reading the names of those commemorated in this ceremony. After each name, the church bell sounded.
When the second name was read, I knew why I had been pushed.
It was the name of my friend's youngest brother.
Ramon Anthony Mooney.
(You can even hear his name and the bell pealing afterward, in this video from WSAV. Go to marker 0:36 to hear it.)

Goosebumps made me shiver in the summer heat.
Time stood still while my mind worked to comprehend.
Mama must have been the one pushing me. She was always close to this friend, especially during our senior year of high school.
Apparently, I was here, at this ceremony, to make sure my friend knew her brother was being remembered.
Incredible.
I was so glad I listened when I was pushed.
I am so glad I was there to take photos for my friend.
I am touched that all who died by gunshot were included, with no discrimination concerning circumstances.
That was truly thanks to God's healing touch.
i thank You, God, that i was there to bear witness.

For the article in the Savannah Morning News about the "Ribbons for a Reason" ceremony, as well as the list of names of those commemorated, go to this weblink.

For the coverage and video from WTOC, please go here.

And, in case you're wondering: the ribbons are not on the fence in chronological order. I do not know what paradigm was used, but they seem to have been randomly applied.
All souls are sacred.
i thank God for that, too.