I don’t know why it should be so, but it seems that out of great sadness can come revelations of great love. Last night I was honored to attend a memorial service for Trayvon Martin, the black teenager recently shot to death in Florida.The memorial was organized by a wonderful young man, Darnell Lewis, founder of I.M.P.A.C.T, whose mission it is to “equip our youth with the necessary tools to navigate through the middle school, high school and college years.”

It was a one-hour event in a park in Red Bank, New Jersey. We all wore hoodies like Trayvon was wearing when he died. Pastors led over 100 of us in prayer as we held hands. Several of Darnell’s young gentlemen and young ladies read short statements that started, “I am Trayvon Martin.” Then we stood in silence, honoring Trayvon, his family, and all the young black men and women so ill-served by so many of our social systems and institutions.

I was there as a mama, and the mama of sons. I was there as a citizen who cannot and will not rest easy until everyone has the same beautiful safety and abundance that I have and is everyone’s birthright.

I was also there as a woman who came of age in the 1960’s, who watched the civil rights movement unfold on television, who deeply regrets there is still so much of that work yet to do, but who refuses to despair.

There’s a wonderful expression, “Don’t let the little you can do stop you from doing the little you can do.” One of my little bits was to attend last night’s service. I went in solidarity with those who are fighting injustice. I came away with so much more than I brought.There was so much love in that little park, the air was vibrating with it. And it was powerful beyond measure.

From where I stand, that’s the way peace works. Peace is not just a condition or a place. It’s an action. “There is no way to peace,” the expression goes. “Peace is the way.” Amen.