Where do the mermaids stand?
The essence of this spirit was captured in a moving speech about tolerance given last year by the student body president of one of your sister colleges. She related the story by Robert Fulghum about a young pastor who, finding himself in charge of some very energetic children, hits upon a game called "Giants, Wizards and Dwarfs." "You have to decide now," the pastor instructed the children, "which you are ... a giant, a wizard or a dwarf?"
At that, a small girl tugging at his pants leg, asked, "But where do the mermaids stand?"
The pastor told her there are no mermaids, and she says, "Oh yes there are," she said. "I am a mermaid."
Now this little girl knew what she was and she was not about to give up on either her identity or the game. She intended to take her place wherever mermaids fit into the scheme of things. Where do the mermaids stand ... All those who are different, those who do not fit the boxes and pigeonholes? "Answer that question," wrote Fulghum, "and you can build a school, a nation, or a whole world."
~~Barbara Bush
Wellesley College Commencement Address, 1990
About Me
- Monica
- One year of marriage under my belt, and it's only getting better! We've added another member to the family, a sweet and spicy lady parakeet to help keep DeWitt in line.
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3 comments:
Toilet stories:
1. My family once had neighbors who put a toilet in their front yard and planted flowers in it. (We moved shortly after that, so I don't know how long that particular lawn ornament remained in place.)
2. Two years ago, I visited The Master's College in CA with my ministry team. A student who saw us and stopped to give us a tour (how's that for being kind to visitors?!) told us about one dorm that had been converted from men's to women's. The story was that the girls who moved in planted flowers in all the urinals. :)
My favorite part of that news story is that a fence apparently violates regulations but a bunch of toilets in the yard is just fine.
I love it. This is exactly my kind of protest. They are hurting anyone or destroying anything, but they have definitely made their point. Good for them!
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