John and Gail "At Ease"

Notes from a Vigil Keeper on four Fridays by Gail Cady

I met Jerry one Friday when he was a van driver. I was a vigil keeper, holding my sign. He dropped a girl off at the Abortion Clinic, walked down to me and said, "Can I stand with you?" Jerry is black, from Ghana and has a head full of dreadlocks. I said "Yes." We have been in touch ever since.

10-11 on May 13th

Mary Ellen and another couple were there.

Jerry shows up with a friend and his pastor

I give them signs. They give me hugs.

I go to my car to get literature for them.

I come back and a young man(20ish, tattoos, shorts) is talking to Jerry and group.

His girlfriend is having an abortion inside. He is upset.

I say I am sorry and touch his arm. He begins to cry, then walks away.

I see him later walking back into the abortion clinic.

Jerry and group leave.

Not more than three minutes later, the abortionist leaves in his black Mercedes.

A landscape truck drives by. I am holding the sign that says Women Regret Their Abortions.

A young woman in the passenger seat rolls down her window and says to me, "They do.They do."

I move across the sidewalk with my signs.

A nice looking woman in a fancy convertible stops and says, "May I bring you a cup of coffee."

Ben and Lee show up and I leave.

10-11 on May 27th

I relieved Mary Ellen.

It was the first hot day this year at the site.

An Asian woman stopped her car and said, "Good job." She had a serious look.

A man walked by and looked at my sign "Women DO Regret Their Abortion." He said, "I am lucky. I have a 30 year old daughter. She is a nurse."

I told him to pass on the message.

I reflected that this sign seemed to cause the most reaction, the most honks, the most thumbs up, the most waves.

When I hold up my other signs I don't get as much feedback.

10-11 on June 3rd

I was late because of the bad traffic on the Beltway.

A woman was walking up and down the sidewalk saying the rosary but she didn't talk to me.

Ben showed up with his handmade sign. He looked smart in his suit and tie. He is a lawyer and was between appointments.

Lee came at 11 but today I stayed on.

Jerry called and said he was coming soon.

Next to arrive was Jerry. He had trouble with traffic, too, but he came with little Jerry, his 18 month old son, and his friend, Oro,

All held signs, including little Jerry.

We had a lot of "thumbs up" especially after Jerry, his son and his friend arrived.

The main interaction occurred when a woman standing on the corner started screaming at Oro saying, " I do not regret my abortion."

and "Women have a right to control their own bodies." Oro just smiled and we basically ignored her screaming.

More "thank you's" from passing motorists followed.

Jerry remarked to me that white people for abortion seem unnerved by blacks and whites standing together for life. He is right.

Little Jerry was getting tired of being in his stroller or being constrained by his Dad.

We all left together at 12:30.

10-11 on June 10

I relieved Mary Ellen.

The temperature was already 90 degrees.

I had at least 10 waves and honks.

I could not decipher some gestures inside darkened car windows.

One man rode by on a bike and rang his bell.

An Indian man in a white gown walked by, read my signs and nodded his head.

A woman walked by and asked me why I was standing out in the heat.

I said that we were in front of two abortion clinics and we were here to pray to end abortions
and to persuade women to change their minds and offer help, if needed.
I told her that 40% of all black babies were aborted. She was horrified.

She said she had one daughter who died at 12 from Lupus.

She was visibly upset to know that abortions were occurring in the buildings behind us.

Jerry had called me last night to say he was coming but he didn't show up.

Hopefully, I will see him next week.

Please feel to join us any Friday for any time you might have free. The abortion clinics are at 2807 and 2839 Duke Street. We have extra signs. If you want to volunteer on a regular basis, you may e-mail Mary Ellen at.... Maryellen.40days@verizon.net

So, we said good-bye to friends and family at Wedfest on Saturday night at Michael and Laura's house and on Sunday when everyone headed to the airport. My pictures should be in the reverse order here but I haven't done a blog in awhile. I am rusty. We leave for the College World Series in June and then to New Mexico and Texas to visit friends. Stay tuned.