Angels come in all ages, shapes, sizes and colors!
Little Angels from 1964 to 2009! With a special message! (written on January 17, 2009)
Well… here’s an interesting one! Angels come in all shapes, sizes and colors…
I sent in my final version of my book “Life is a Song – int the key of Love” (subtitled: Growing up with the embarrassment of prejudice) and ordered the final proof copy.
The dedication in the front of the book is to: “the little black boy who was so adventurous as to wonder out of his ‘racially defined’ neighborhood to walk down to the alley behind my Front St home in Steelton – back in 1964. He had a snotty nose, ashy skin, but a big, fearless, adventurous soul (just like mine)! He went on his journey from 5th and 6th streets – only to have white-folks in my neighborhood screaming and yelling at him or they were going to call the cops. It was the time when JFK and MLK were fighting for equal rights, etc. – a lot of tension. I never forgot that image, standing at the gate at the end of my yard. It was so confusing.
Well, I didn’t feel like eating dinner this evening, but something told me to go out to eat. When I arrived at the restaurant, the Dollar Tree – bargain eyeglass-chain holder I had purchased broke. No problem, I just drove up to the dollar tree on my way home – Carlisle Pike.
I was one aisle over from the toy aisle. I had to smile, I could hear a young voice, trying to sound tough – saying some kind of ‘Boy From the Hood’ phrase (the kid was trying to sound tough) – can’t remember what it was. As I was heading out of my aisle, towards the back of the store, an African American woman was going by with her cart. I figured the voice must have belonged to her child. I didn’t think anything of it and kept walking around the back of the store, away from the toy aisle.
Well, I don’t know what made me turn around, after I had passed a few aisles, but – I did –
and, there he was – a little African American boy – with a snotty nose, trying to get my attention – aiming a plastic pistol/gun at me. His younger brother was also snotty nosed and toting a pistol (kids and cold season, plus touch kids don’t use tissues, you know!) – pointing it at me and pretending to shoot. He also had a bright red, plastic car – almost as big as he was!
So, not wanting to miss out on the fun – I assumed the Spider Man – web shooting position and shot some spider webs at them. Then, I said, hey, wait a minute. You don’t want to shoot people – you know what I do? They looked at me – I said –
I shoot smiles at people!
I like to see how many people I can get to smile back at me!
They put their guns away and the younger boy dropped the red car – due to its size.
I said – “OH NO! Auto Accident! and made a siren noise.”
Their mother called them and I had to stop playing. ;o)
I ran into them, again, at the front of the store. This time, I gave the older boy a smile – he still had the snot coming out of his nose- and, what did he do?
HE SMILED BACK AT ME! (without the gun)
I said, OH! I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP, A STATE TROOPER! I said, ‘DO YOU KNOW WHERE I WORK?’ He was bright, he said – a police officer? I said, at the State Police! I said, YOU COULD HELP AND PROTECT PEOPLE instead of shooting them! He said, ‘SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH THEM?’
I said YES! You could say stuff like, ‘Hey, why did you do that?’ ahahaha (not very creative – but, I tried)
I said, WOW! I bet you’re going to make a great police officer and help a lot of people! He nodded.
Then, we parted ways.
When I got to my car – I thought – OH MY GOD! I was inspired to write my book because of a brave little, snotty nosed, ashy skinned, black boy- walking past the gate at the end of my yard, in 1964 – and, THEN
all these years later….
when I finish the book –
I run into another little, snotty nosed, brave, bright, African-American boy – as if to say –
I’m the other book end to put parantheses around what inspired your life!
I’m glad, THIS TIME, instead of him being yelled at to ‘go back to his ‘racially defined neighborhood’ – he encountered a person encouraging him to BE ALL HE CAN BE, without fear – OH, AND WITH A SMILE!
I’d like to think the little boy from 1964 and the little boy from 2009 were both little angels sent to inspire me…
Highlighted Helen living BOLD and in ITALICS!
Tags: angels, Bias, mentors, Prejudice, Racism, stereotype
