(the Monday Morning Blues was the student published newsletter when I was in college. The tissue alert is still in effect.)
Dear Students,
I was proud to be a part of the CSM campus community last Thursday. It all began when Angel and I went into the cafe to distribute "World AIDS Day" buttons and to announce our afternoonpresentation. To my delight, I felt the tremendous energy that you were already putting into the day. Red ribbons were everywhere. Conversation was intense. Students were determined and proud to be an integral part of World AIDS Day. I felt good about you. We wanted to max out the energy that we felt from you in the Cafe, by bringing the presentation to you. Again, Angel and I were met with enthusiasm, intensity and openness from you. The presentation was awesome, from the staggering world, national and county AIDS statistics to the thought provoking theme: AIDS and the Family. And then we met Jim. I felt our heart- our communiy heart- meet his heartas he shared his story of a man dying of AIDS. We experienced his joy and his sorrow as he shared his story of a man dying of AIDS. We experienced his joy and his sorrow as he faced death by himself, with his partner, with his family, and with his friends. And then it was our turn to face AIDS head on with Jim.
We had a moment to catch our breath when he simply seemed to lose his train of thought. We floated off into out minds and hearts to search for connections, for solutions, for meaning. Suddenly, our collective consciousness zeroed in on the severity of what we were actually experiencing with Jim. We reacted initially as one and used our strengths to react to the emergency. Some of us used medical expertise, some of us used quick thinking and exceptional organizational skills, some of us knew that walking away from the scene was the best thing to do. We all touched each other- with a hug, a knowing look, a shared sigh, any expression of the many emotions we were feeling. We were there for Jim. We were there for each other. I felt the power of our community that day. Thank you.
(written by the SPARK program director and published December 6, 1994.)
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"If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"