Asian woman elder hands me $5

 

Yesterday was another of our weekly 'No war with Russia' vigils we've been holding in Brunswick each Thursday for an hour. We held our first one on February 5.

We had Rosie, Dan and me there. Sometimes 2-3 more folks join us.

I do it for the waves and honks - especially from truckers. We get few negatives. Mostly blank stares at the car ahead. You can almost see the words 'stay in line' tagged on their foreheads.

I like to encourage those drivers who are thinking outside the box and not buying the non-ending corporate media Russia demonization.

Anyway, before anyone else arrived for the vigil, an elder Asian woman approached and wanted to read my sign. She said nothing to me, but then with her extended hands gave me a deep look and $5 bill. I didn't want to take it but that would have insulted her. I moaned and then said thank you. She walked away into a local fingernail shop where I realized she worked. Many of the workers in these shops are Vietnamese.

I wonder if she thought I was homeless. I really have no idea.

After the vigil I dodged traffic and went into the medium strip of the busy downtown street to pick four flowers (each a different color) from the city's beautification efforts. 

I walked toward her shop and entered the mini-mall outer door and realized that she was sitting inside the door with her shoes off. She was leaning against the wall and could see the street through the big windows from this spot. I handed her the small but radiant flowers and said thank you again.

She said to me 'I don't speak English' but her eyes and spirit told me all I needed to know.

That is why I love to hold signs on busy downtown streets. I try look the people in the eye - sometimes they look back.

For what ever reason.

Bruce