Jeff took the day off so we could start thinking about Christmas. We went to the mall and quickly realized how much we really don’t like the mall, and then I almost bought myself a t-shirt that says, “Tis the season to be pregnant” but because Jeff wouldn’t buy the semi-matching “Jingle Bellies” shirt for himself (in his defense, the shirts were in a maternity store and clearly weren’t cut for men), I decided it was time to bail so we grabbed Thai food before heading home.
The rest of the evening will be spent watching the news from Ferguson. It’s less than 25 miles away, and the local news anchors may as well save their voices for now and simply play “Inferno” from Dante Symphony. (They are masters of switching the mood between “How can we heal?” and “The crap is about to be scared out of your pants.”) Food is being collected for the police officers as well as for the peaceful protesters. School closings are beginning to roll across the television screen. People are gathering and there is a lot of anger and a lot of fear. I will continue to hope for peace, justice, and change.
St. Louis is a great town. We will get through this. We will.
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Ugh (re your predictions re Ferguson)
One would think that in the (many!) decades I have been alive we (our society) might have learned a thing or two about civil rights/protests/human decency toward fellow human beings, etc. Sad.
And also, you have a husband who will even *consider* doing malls with you? Not to mention taking a day off specifically to do so?? I didn’t know there actually *is* such a breed.
I’m praying for STL. It is a good town.
It is a wonderful city.
We made the decision to move into the city proper 21 years ago. We’ve never had any reason to regret that decision.
And it is my sincerest hope that we wake up feeling the exact same way tomorrow.
My heart goes out to all involved. I personally think they should have held out till tomorrow morning. Less people hovering. Either way it went everyone looses. I’ve not been around a tv, but I guess I should go see. Also. I love christmas but I so dislike the whole shopping for Christmas thing. Thank goodness for hot chocolate and amazon.
We will get through this is right. I’m praying for peace and for ALL involved. Yes, praying for the police and those trying to protect the innocent people that are caught in the middle of all of this, and also praying for the peaceful protestors and those that are rioting. I can’t believe the violence, looting and havoc that is taking place in the city that I love. It is very disturbing to me.
It’s so hard for me to wrap my head around all of this being 30 minutes from our house. I love St. Louis and I hope that it will start to mend.
I’ve never seen anything like this in St. Louis in my life. Scary and sad.
I avoid malls. I rarely shop at them for Christmas. I have to keep it simple, especially this year.
Peace and blessings to all on this tragic night.
One of the things I’ve said about St Louis prior to 1998 (when I moved to Minneapolis) is that it was/is an oddly very segregated city. I’ve said that in a very sad way, because back in the early-mid 70’s, we lived in Overland, and I went to a slightly predominantly black elementary school, and my kindergarten-2nd grade self remembers it being a little piece of racial utopia. I’m sure a big part of that was the innocence of youth, but a part of that had to be true, because I literally have zero recollection of any racial tensions at all. An interesting side note about race and body image (a whole different topic for another time) is that I didn’t realize I was the fat kid until we moved and I went to an all white elementary school (Freer).
Since moving away from St Louis, whenever I visited home, I saw real signs of progress in what I saw in terms of racial issues. It saddens me a great deal that all of this is happening in Ferguson, and hurts my soul to see it happening in a city that has always had, in my opinion, such promise for being a model city to the rest of the country. *sigh*
My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved in this. It’s so, so sad…and so, so wrong.
I thought of you and your family tonight when we watched the announcement on the news. I’ve never been to your city, nor do I know anyone personally who lives there, but I’ve always had a picture in my mind if it being a good place to be. My heart hurts for everyone there tonight and I hope all of you will find peace and some way to get to understanding what can mend what’s broken.
May you get some solace from the knowledge that strangers out here in other places care about what happens in your community.
I’m with “Grammy,” above. I didn’t really expect anything better, but McCulloch’s lengthy speech last night didn’t answer a single question I had.
The Asian shopkeeper was the first victim- he could be shouting racism too. Beware of history re-writes. Stand down orders for cops and firefighters and failing to see the evidence before your eyes does not help children. It enables and creates the environment for burning cities. How about a good dose of personal responsibility no matter a person’s color. Thank you.