Peace, Man

 My son, the musician, invited the family to a free, outdoor concert on Sunday afternoon. A man of very few words, he informed us that the concert would be held, in a park near the Art Museum. Could that be Volker Park, I queried? Many years ago, the park had been the site of Kansas City's summer-long version of Woodstock. I was remembering photos of (because, we never went down there) hundreds of "hippies" smoking you-know-what, fooling around naked, in the nearby creek and grooving on folk and rock  music. Maybe, he replied.

We are a adventurous, supportive bunch, so, we packed up a blanket and drove downtown. It was a bit of a hike to the open field, but we arrived and found a nice shady spot to sit, close enough to see and hear the band. The son, gave us a wave and we settled in, for the show. Looking around, I studied the gathering audience.

"Wow", I remarked to my adult daughter, "this certainly is a mature crowd". (In truth, I was thinking, these folks are all senior citizens...average age of about 75!) One by one, or in pairs, the crowd sauntered slowly around the field, looking for a good spot, to view the show. The footgear was predominantly Birkenstock, and I was surprised to see that quite a few of the women had fashioned their graying locks into braids! I even saw a few tie-dyed tee shirts. Odd, I thought. 

The concert ended with a Jimi Hendrix-like, version of the "Star Spangled Banner". Even odder!

Later, when we met up with our musician, I mentioned my observations. It was then, he informed us, that we had just attended the first concert, held in that park, in fifty years. Obviously, many of the attendees were back for the reunion! It was, in his word, "Historic".

Man, did I feel old.

Holy Lord. There is truly nothing new under the Sun. We keep making the same mistakes, over and over. Lead us, guide us to do Your will. Direct our peace making.