If they can do it

I've just nicked the surface in studying the history of Ireland, which I began when I started traveling there in 2005 for work. I know hardly anything. There is a pretty good novel that covers the whole history called Ireland: A Novel, by Frank Delaney, if you're like me and don't know where to begin.

But there are moments in history that I live through, see with my own eyes, that I know send a wave of relief and hope into all the dimensions of life. After 4 1/2 years of the Northern Ireland Assembly not meeting, then coming to an agreement, and then reassembling, I got chills watching Ian Paisley, Martin McGuinness, Gerrie Adams, and others meet, smile, shake hands and move forward together this week.

Ian Paisley, First Minister, and Martin McGuinness, Deputy First Minister, of the Northern Ireland Assembly (photo from the Irish Times)

I'm old enough to have seen events that shatter peace like this in Ireland, in Israel, Kashmir, South Africa, Zimbabwe, wherever. You almost hate to let the sliver of hope in. Where people are, there are not only love and desire for peace. There are also belief and opinion, closed ears, anger, distrust, jealousy, pain, memory, torture, violence. Strange to think about, but even I am capable of these traits, because I am human.

I just want to mark the moment, note the laughter, feel the warm handshakes, hold the hope, for at least this moment and gather it all, fold it up and send it out like a paper airplane to whomever will catch it.