The warm welcome to the community from the Gurudwara Sikh Temple to visit and join in a service to commemorate the Wisconsin victims and their families netted me a new friend.
Although I did not understand some of the words being spoken, I appreciated standing with the community in their decision to choose to focus on love and resilience. For a few hours, I felt the strength of the presence of hundreds of people who came from a powerful position of strength and humanity.
It was a good chance to sit silently and think about the transformative power of unconditional love.
A woman near me, Ruby, encouraged me to join in for some dinner with the community. She was fresh out of grad school, looking forward to working on a PhD and filled with a passion for life. We had a great chat while sharing some food, and Ruby made me forget I was surrounded by strangers.
For me, Ruby epitomized the values that help restore faith in human nature after a tragedy like the one in Wisconsin.
Thelma Fayle
Victoria
