Ramadan Road Trip (Day 1)

You're leaving again... OR
Where is my supper...?
Well... another bike trip and another blog entry.  The two go hand in hand for me.  As I have said elsewhere when I am on a trip (or in the case getting ready to leave on a motorcycle trip) my mind seems freer to reflect and ponder life's questions through writing.

Later this morning Al Wallace and I will head toward Vermont.  We have no destination in mind - only to follow the road for a day and a half and then turn toward home.  Ideally we will find some twisty roads with scenic views and a good meal or two along the way.

As I prepare to depart I am mindful of Muslim colleagues and inmates who are fasting for the Holy month of Ramadan.  Yesterday I had planned to have all the Muslim inmates who are fasting over to the Chapel to distribute the food items they had purchased for Ramadan.  Unfortunately we were locked down as a result of work being done on the electrical system.  This no doubt made the day very long for inmates and staff.  As a result of the lock down I took three of the Student Chaplains and we went cell to cell delivering the items (trail mix, granola bars and a few other quick high calorie non perishable items).

As we shared the food items with the men there was much gratitude for such simple things... I was
A little ride to Johnston's Point last week... 
touched by the commitment and sincerity of those who are fasting and this morning my stomach grumbles in solidarity.

There were a couple of issues raised yesterday and hopefully these will be addressed.  Accommodating beliefs and practices that we do not understand is not always easy - and this is especially true when there is such a power differential and those in power are faced with limited resources - and in some cases diminishing resources with ever increasing needs.

At the end of the day we need to remember, as a service that we are individually public servants... tasked with the care and control of persons who while incarcerated still retain certain rights and privileges that we, as professionals have a duty to provide reasonable accommodation for.

With these thoughts out of my head and onto the screen I'm ready to do a last minute check of the bike, drive my nephew to Rock Camp in Dieppe and then head off with Al... somewhere toward Vermont...

On the Sabbath Road...
Lloyd

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 11, 2013 at 8:08 PM

    Thanks, Lloyd. These blogs always touch me. Hugs.
    Jean S

    ReplyDelete

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