Parades, Protests, and Preparations

A packed weekend:

1. On Friday night, we went to the 'Parade of Lights' that wound through downtown Denver. There were floats, marching bands, pom-pom dancers, a couple in a rickshaw with a sign on back that read, "She said yes!", and of course, Santa made his grand appearance in a gigantic sleigh as the parade's finale.

2. Saturday morning, I 'put my feet where my beliefs are,' to paraphrase a wise housemate, and attended a pro-life rally in northeast Denver to protest the impending construction of the largest Planned Parenthood building in the US. I'd never been to a rally before, and was super-nervous, not sure if I would find angry, single-issue voters fixated on other people's mistakes. I was pleasantly surprised to find a mild, amiable group (plenty of parents with young children). We listened to a speaker talk about Planned Parenthood's philosophy and underhanded business strategies (learn more at Pro-life work in Denver) and then marched around the block once, while singing 'Amazing Grace.'

So this is what I've learned about the value of protests: a) They force you to choose sides, to speak with your presence a stance that previously had been affirmed more hesitantly, and for me this forces me to not make the fact that many issues are 'gray and complicated' into an excuse to not make a decision about them. b) They remind you of the heart of a democratic society - the freedom to assemble and to speak, and to engage in public life about the most important and delicate of issues.

Needless to say, I've been thinking a lot lately about the sanctity of life, cultural messages about sex, and political implications latent in the pro-life movement (like: just because something is legal does not mean it is right. What else could this apply to?)

Link to Planned Parenthood to learn more about their philosophy and programs.

3. Saturday afternoon - back at our cozy house, making Christmas crafty gifts with a dozen 'Transition students,' young adults with developmental disabilities. We made greeting cards, napkin ring holders, snowflake spa mix, magnets, you name it, we made it!

4. Sunday - Happy Advent!!!! O come, O come Emmanuel. I love Advent. So much. We got out the Nativity scene (Baby Jesus is carefully hidden...) and for prayer last night we made a 'Jesse tree' and lit the first candle in our Advent wreath. Advent is so...expectant. It makes me think a lot about Mary being pregnant and about the hope latent in unexpected places.