kayre | Intense week

Sunday-- went to a service of Solidarity with Muslims at a mosque in Schenectady. It was satisfying to do so, and a really good experience. Nearly 500 of us-- mostly Muslims, Jews and Christians, but some Sikhs and Buddhists as well. It was mostly a time of brief talks from representative clergy and a couple of politicians. The worship space was quite beautiful-- a gymnasium-sized space, clean and white, chandeliers, colorful carpet, and two walls of enormous windows looking out onto treetops. It turned out that there was in fact a gymnasium underneath, as we found out when we started hearing thuds and feeling the building shake-- basketball game. The reaction among us guests was both sad and a little comical.

Tuesday-- one of my students and his mom arrived for his lesson in the midst of a blistering fight. He was in hysterical tears, she was tight-lipped and vicious, and used language about him, in front of him, that upset me terribly. All I could think to do was to get them apart, and help my student calm down; that went well. Student's dad is a close friend (and yes, they're still together), and I cautiously brought it up with him later. He felt that I had done the right thing, and thanked me for comforting his son; he didn't think direct confrontation would have been helpful. I still feel pretty uncomfortable about it; but it's the first time I've seen that in more than 3 years, and the dad is on it, so I'll just be watchful.

Thursday-- another mosque, this time called a Memorial Service of Solidarity. Older mosque, but still a beautiful and comfortable worship space for me. We were invited into the main space during prayers, and then back to a large anteroom for the main program. This time we heard from many more Imams, and much more Islamic content; and interestingly, the Christian contingent was mostly Catholic, rather than Protestant. We watched two short videos relating directly to the shooting in New Zealand. The program ran long, and at the end the host Imam apologetically said it was late, would we mind if they did the call to prayer right this moment, and then we could stay for prayer again and leave. And so the [cantor?] began the call to prayer; and the imam rushed up and turned him about 30 degrees, and he began again.

Today, in a complete change of pace, the kid and I went to the region's Garden Show. It's a little taste of springtime, and also a fun shopping time. Oddly, there are lots of winery booths, giving samples, so that's a treat. And.. well, I've been stalking a line of jewelry (Firefly) looking for the perfect necklace... and I found a necklace in the same style, but more suited to me, and way cheaper! So that's a score.