Smiling and Waving

Quick note: My son is home now and running around playing; clearly "take it easy" is a suggestion that only applies when one doesn't have a fever. Thanks for your prayers....

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On a bridge in the pouring rain you stood, you and your friend. Beneath you, the rush of evening traffic heading east on I-80 through the city of Citrus Heights.

From a distance I saw you, waving to the traffic below. It seemed like a silly thing to do, standing in the rain, waving to traffic, but it brought a smile to my face---no small feat, given the day I'd had. The smile, in turn, released some of the stress and tension inside of me. I began to breathe.

In spite of myself, I eagerly anticipated driving under your overpass, so I could smile and wave back. Good cheer is contagious and multiplies when spread, I realized. However, as I came closer, I realized that though your right hand was waving, your left hand was holding something: a sign. What's this? I wondered. A moment later, I could see what it was: the word GAY with a red circle around it and a line drawn through. And then I understood what the message was that you were communicating with your smile and your wave.

How did you learn to do that? How did you learn to hate and judge while smiling and waving? Did your pastor teach you that? Your parents? Is it a defense mechanism, meant to mask your own deep, hidden fears?

Who will your smile and wave send to their death, like a kiss of betrayal long ago?