Summer Excursion
It has become a kind of summer ritual - getting on the fast
ferry with my grandkids and leaving “The Rock” for a few hours on a mid-July
day to go shopping on the mainland. We
join the masses who are leaving behind their vacation respite on the island and
we head for “America.” The ritual has changed little over the last
few years. It usually manages to fall on
the hottest, sunniest, most humid day in July.
We enjoy the cool breeze as the ferry speeds toward its
destination. And then, suddenly, we are
disembarking into sizzling heat and humidity again.
First stop
- Friendly’s! and a cool Fribble! Years ago, there were giggles about blowing
bubbles in the milkshake with a straw.
Now the conversation turns to the number of calories in each menu
offering, the size of the portions and whether or not it is possible to make a
healthy choice here for a mid-morning snack.
Next stop -
Staples! and a quick run through to see what is needed in anticipation of the
beginning of the school year. Here the
seductive items used to be the biggest boxes of crayons or markers, the Pink
Pony pencil boxes and blank note books.
Now the electronics section is the big draw - - and there are many
comments about the high prices.
On to
Walmart! The inexpensive DVDs used to be
the big draw -and there was always a challenging bit of time in the toy
section. Now the conversation runs toward
the shabby quality of much of the merchandise and how do people live on
the wages they earn making so much stuff
that has so little value.
No trip off
island is complete without stops at TJMAXX and The Christmas Tree Shoppe. By the end of our shopping tour, we’re all
tired and feeling overwhelmed by all the lures of consumption. The kids compare what life is like on the
island - trying to live “normal” lives in the presence of so much excess and
unthinking wealth.


It is a
good day for listening to the voice of the prophet Amos echoing down through
the ages: Thus says the Lord: For three
transgressions and for four, I will not revoke the punishment: they sell the righteous for
silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes - they trample the head of the poor
into the dust of the earth and push the afflicted out of the way.... (Amos 2:6-7).
But all is not
hopeless. There are a few courageous
voices of resistance. Somewhere in
Washington the prophet still speaks. May
we pray that the prophetic voice will get louder with each passing day.
Vicky Hanjian
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