IN MY SHOES Words to live by: Love one another

Thanks for joining my blog! Thought I’d share an article I wrote some years back, sharing with others the kind of love I grew up -my, we need more of this today! 

Sherri L Rose  - Richmond Times Dispatch, Feb 14, 2015 

My sweet mama, Marjorie Peatross Rose, was born in 1925 and graduated from high school in 1942. After attending business classes she worked downtown at the Internal Revenue Service and rode the bus every day from her parents' home in Richmond. She continued working until marrying my daddy, David "Mike" O. Rose, in 1948.

Mama (and Daddy) were both raised in the Baptist Church and continued in this faith for their entire lives. Mama actively taught all of her daughters (I'm the second of four) her mantra of life: "Love One Another." And that meant everyone. No exclusions. Always.

In the mid-1940s, Jim Crow laws were in full effect — those horrific mandates that forced the segregation of two races: one with color, one without (there's certainly no space for that history lesson here!). My mother knew that to force the segregation of people on "her bus" was just wrong. "They had to pay the same amount we did ... so why did they have to ride in the back? It just wasn't right." So she rode in the back of the bus in the area designated for persons of color.

My mother had such a delightful and optimistic way of looking at life; reflecting all on her own, and looking at things somewhat simplistically and literally at times; but also in a very insightful, loving and compassionate way. She never viewed herself as a social activist or a white anti-racist.

She certainly had no diversity training in those days — but she had her own personal sense of cultural awareness. She simply knew that segregation was wrong. So she rode in the back of the bus and frequently enjoyed knitting while on her way to work.
On a lighter note, one day when my mother was knitting on the bus her ball of yarn went flying out the window. The bus stopped and a very kind person handed her yarn back through the window.

She told this story many more times than where she chose to sit on the bus.

In the '60s my daddy owned a small motel. Segregation was still a very serious issue during these times. A bus stopped, and the coach of an out-of-town basketball team entered the motel office. The coach approached my dad, saying they had a young man "of color" on their team. Could they please stay at his motel? The answer from my dad was an emphatic yes.

My mama and daddy had a quiet and humble way of actively practicing the kindness and love that we all should exhibit. My mama's choice to ride on the back of the bus; my dad's to register a young man of color to his motel are truly examples of how we all should act.

Mama died recently. Daddy died in 2009.

I am saddened by the persistence of racial tension and inequalities. It is my hope that one day this will truly go away.
The bottom line? "Love One Another." As my sweet mama said: Everyone, all the time, no exceptions.

Sherri is a retired nurse practitioner who continues to volunteer at her previous place of employment, Hospice Community Care. She enjoys singing, playing the piano, gardening, cooking, traveling and spending time with her loving husband, George. They live in Mechanicsville.

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