Black Friday...Small Business Saturday...and Cyber Monday. The holiday season is upon us and we're all looking for ways to show our love and appreciation, whether it's part of our faith celebration or the year-end send off for a club or organization.
For weeks now, it's been encouraging to see many gifting by sharing "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf." I think I know why. "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf," is not just the story of Carol Jenkins' death, or the life of the 7-year old little girl who witnessed the unthinkable, but through it all, it's a story of hope. Hope for unity, hope for devastating cycles in families to be broken and hope that the places where we live can emerge better than the past.
I saw that hope in the eyes of dozens of book lovers who stopped by to chat and to check out "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf,"at the Indiana Historical Society's Annual Holiday Author Fair on December 3rd. One woman told me "I remember when it happened. This story needs to be told!" Another gentlemen offered thanks; His focus: justice and the hope of peace for families impacted by crime. Just as memorable: the young couple that grabbed an arm full of books, counting off the names of people who could benefit from learning about Indiana history.
The holiday book fair was a gift unto itself, given to 80-authors from across the state.
It was a chance for all of our work to shine, and for each to celebrate the other. (I certainly purchased featured titles to add to my family's collection.)
This give and take is what makes this time of year so special. Weeks prior to the author fair, I accepted a wonderful invitation from a book club at a local church. These women have been reading together for years. Their last read for 2012 was "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf." The discussion in the party room of a north side restaurant was electric! Some of these women lived through the civil rights struggle and had a greater appreciation for the story. They were in essence living examples of hope from the past! They had overcome discrimination in their own lifetimes and were now using their careers in education and ministry to give back.
That night, I walked away proud, but not about anything I had done. I was proud of these African American women, newfound role models who have been out there making a difference everyday.
They were the women who smoothed the path for me and countless others. Yet on this night they sat listening intently to what I had to share, each of them draped in a beautiful yellow scarf. What a gift!
Thank you and many blessings for the Holidays!
(ISBN: 978-0-615-60705-4) She was a child witness with an impossible choice... Now Sandra Chapman takes you beyond the headlines of the $7 dollar secret and the key to solving the 1968 case.
