Waiting for a Miracle

Love comes to life in the most unlikely of places in the most unlikely of times. That has always been true and it’s still true.  I know, hard to believe when we are being bombarded by the fear mongering media with images and reports that sound an awful lot like we’re going to hell in a hand basket.  How many more salacious reports of politicians who can’t keep their pants zipped up are we going to have to hear about? Never mind the women who are old enough to know better, but who climb aboard the fame train with them. And let’s not forget the violence we participate in. Tell me again, how many wars are we fighting?  My friend, Revel said that if Caligula were around he’d feel right at home.  Listen, don’t get me wrong, I adore Revel but he can be just a little bit cynical and I know things are getting bad when I agree with him. Then it happens, just about the time I’m ready to put a down payment on a cozy hermitage somewhere love gets a hero, in this case in the guise of a photojournalist.

This photograph captivated my heart from the moment I saw it.  The young woman fell during the riots in Vancouver and her boyfriend bent down to help her. He kissed her and told her it was going to be ok. I loved everything it represented, passion, courage, love in the middle of chaos. I was just as awestruck by a different image taken in 2006. 

When I first saw this photograph taken by Andrew Cutraro I was stunned by the power of it. Keishia Thomas was student who was attending a protest against the KKK. An angry mob that included Keishia rushed the man who was wearing the symbols of the KKK. When he fell to the ground and was being attacked, Keishia, who was all of eighteen, threw herself over him as a shield. She said later, “He’s still somebody’s child.” 

Love has the power to transform our lives and the lives of everyone who witnesses it. That much I know for sure. Believing in the power of love even for a moment is all it takes to open our hearts and when we do miracles unfurl themselves into the world. They may not make the front page of the news, but you never know when what you say or do will be a miracle that someone has been waiting for. Love is a choice we make every moment of every day. We are all somebody’s child who needs a miracle. We can be that miracle. We don’t have to wait.