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RSSWalking and Talking
by The Rev. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton
Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. — Luke 24:35
They must have talked and talked, as they walked along — it helps to talk, sometimes, when something terrible happens, and something terrible certainly had happened. Soon, they had a receptive hearer: the curious stranger who joined them on their way. So they told their story again. Later on, they would tell it again, this time to their friends back in Jerusalem, who, by then, would have a story of their own to tell.
People need to talk when important things happen. We must make a story out of the events in our lives, discern the manner in which they fit together, or the randomness of life overwhelms us. And, when terrible things happen — even life-threatening things, physical things, events demanding a practical and immediate response — we continue to need to make a story of it in order to get through it.
The bustling city of Atlanta was shocked two weeks ago when violent tornadoes ripped through many of its neighborhoods, destroying 75 homes and many other structures, rendering more than 250 people suddenly in need of everything. With the support of Episcopal Relief and Development, the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta is working with the Red Cross to provide shelter, hot meals, a ride to work and other emergency needs to those displaced by the destruction of their homes.
It's a debit card system — Atlanta is a modern city, with plenty of places that take plastic. But the church volunteers who manage the distribution of the cards find that those who must ask for them need more than a card and a smile: they need to talk, to tell what they have lost, where they were when it happened, what's ahead in the weeks and months to come. They need to talk as much as they need the other things they need. So do other people in other Georgia communities. It's a good thing there are lots of diocesan volunteers.
They two men walked and talked, and then they walked and talked with their new friend. Then they knew him, when they ate with him. But they still needed to talk — to each other, to their friends, and, across the centuries, to us.
