Hey all,
Here are some pictures I took this morning while Escorting for Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania. Escorting is *not* being a body guard. It is not counter-protesting. It is far more powerful and far more important for me: it is simply helping individuals make it past crowds of protesters who wish to shock and horrify them into not going into our clinic. But like many worthwhile pursuits, Escorting involves a lot of waiting around. Thus most of my pictures are of buses, murals and people. The protesters give speeches, pray, yell and above all have boards and signs. I’ve learned to enjoy the prettier signs (I don’t have any pictured here because I didn’t want to attract the protesters attention while I was Escorting and most of them had left by the time I was done) like a lovely one of Jesus. And I though I see the uglier signs, they never change my mind about what I’m doing (a fellow Escort said her least favorite was a many wearing a 10 inch tall, hand carved crucifix where Jesus has been replaced with a fetus image). And this is what is so powerful about Escorting: we have the responsibility to not interact with the protesters. We don’t talk, we rarely make eye-contact, we don’t refuse pamphlets from them for patients (though we tell the patients the pamphlets aren’t allowed inside the clinic), and *we don’t give them the satisfaction of bothering us*.
And do you know what the best part about today was?
Not a single Patient or companion felt intimidated enough by the protesters to need our help. Talk about empowerment.
Fun in a totally different way was going on a public transit adventure. I got on the wrong bus and so had the chance to take all of these lovely pictures of the Wilkinsburg station–check out the snow!!!
Inspirational Quote:
Roman: the urge to walk around and incorporate countries
