Being Peace

Have you ever seen the painting of the mother bird covering her fledglings in the middle of the raging storm? That picture has been at the forefront of my mind this week as I’ve sought to be peace in the midst of chaos.

It was moving week again! When we first came to the Swannanoa facility in June of 2008, 96 women were moved into Sloop dorm which had been cleaned and painted, but was still in need of some major renovations. Soon the same temporary fix-up was completed in Gilliatt and 96 more women joined us. The first major renovation was recently completed, and this week the women vacated Sloop, with its drafty windows and insufficient electrical outlets for Greenwood.

Moving 80-something women is no small feat! One would think it would be simple when those women’s possessions must fit into three small garbage bags. However, in addition to moving those three bags, they also had to take their bunks apart and move them, the mattresses and bedding, and their lockers. Fortunately, these two dorms are only a few yards apart.

Sounds simple and fairly easy to coordinate. However, when you add 80 incarcerated personalities and who knows how many staff into the mix, you have a recipe for a major explosion. It hasn’t happened, though. I’ve seen a few tiffs, some ruffled feathers, and some rather traumatized-looking faces, but no one totally lost it. I did seem to attract complaints every time I walked through. I would stop and listen, sometimes sympathizing and sometimes chastising, but always trying to remember to pass the peace.

So the picture of that bird in the middle of that storm has been my prayer: help me be peace.