I attended two protests this weekend in Appleton and, though the weather varied greatly between them, the spirit did not.
They were both alike in dignity, and in the reaffirming way they showed that the worst of times often bring out the best in people.
I witnessed a lot of goodness both at Saturday’s march through downtown and at the Palm Sunday Path, a rally jointly organized by area churches.
A cold wind blew through the streets on Saturday, and, still, a determined, multi-generational group of people showed up. I saw a woman push a wheelchair with one hand while holding a sign aloft with the other. I followed her and her “Love makes US great” sign through the whole route and thought about how well she lived the words she had so artfully displayed.
Love played a featured role in both events, as both a noun and a verb. So did its close relative, compassion.
What better way to celebrate Palm Sunday than to take a stand with and for your neighbor?
My mom joined me for the Sunday rally, and Mother Nature blessed us with a nice, warm day.
Again, the calls to action centered on human decency and kindness, just as the Bible tells us.
The whole weekend felt like a fresh breath of freedom and equality, and exactly the way we should be treating people in a country that was founded on the celebration of both.
