Thursday, May 21, 2009

5.21.09: Vigil for Laura Ling & Euna Lee


You can be active while you are still.

This year has been about doing physical challenges for charity -- a movement for movement -- but today, I attended a vigil praying for the safe return of two female journalists being held captive in North Korea. They are Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

As a fellow journalist, I can't help but be touched by their story. My biggest risk on the job is getting heckled at a Borough Council meeting. These women were facing greater risk than I have ever known near the border of North Korea, were captured and have been detained for 10 weeks. 10 weeks. I can't even imagine what that must be for them, for their families.

So with the NBC studios behind us, we stood and hoped. We talked to each other about how we were connected to the cause, as five other groups did in vigils across the country for Laura and Euna. Laura's cousin Angie read a letter from Laura, received May 15. Tourists bustled around us, snapping photos of where the Today Show broadcasts, but our group of 20 or so was still and hoped. I stood and felt the wind rustling my skirt, the wax from my candle dripping on my finger, and glad to take a moment to hope for their safe return.

You can be active and be still.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

1 comment:

Unknown said...

What did the letter from Laura say? And just to confirm perhaps the obvious, this May 15th letter was sent by Laura Ling from Korea?

Thanks,

Richard
@LiberateLaura
liberatelaura@gmail.com