The below is not yet built, and so, hasn't been tested. I can only see it in my mind's eye, and I'm not in a position to put it together just yet. But I'm sharing it here just the same, because here in the days immediately afterward, some of you may find that building and practicing to tell the story is good therapy for you, too. Or maybe it could be an occasion to gather with your religious education team to do something constructive together.
If you are able to make it and tell it, please post back here with feedback. Thanks in advance, and love and courage to all of us.
Pulse in Orlando
Story by Teresa Honey Youngblood
6/15/16
Overview: A story about the mass shooting at the dance club, Pulse, in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday, June 12, 2016, and the Unitarian Univesalist response to it. This story is intended for children 8-10 and up.
Materials:
- Blue circular underlay, 36” across
- Large green cutout of the shape of the state of Florida
- Smaller circle, about 8” across, in rainbow colors
- 30 or so felt or wooden peg people, some in skin tones, some in all shades of the rainbow, no features added to their faces
- Two small baskets
- One small scarf or handkerchief in a solid color
- Small, black felt gun, abstracted, but in the general shape of a large machine gun
- Large red felt heart, about 8” across
- (optional) Flowers enough to form a circle around the 30 or so felt or wooden peg people when they are formed into a circle (Maybe 60 or so blossoms the size of roses or pansies),
- and large bowl or basket to hold all the flowers
Preparation: Do the layout two or three times so you can feel comfortable with the spacing of objects around the circle, and so you can utilize the three different smaller baskets/bowls that are employed in the storytelling.
***
Have basket in hand.
This is a story about a tragedy, about many deaths, and about something very holy, and very human that happens afterward.
Spread out blue underlay.
Did you know Florida means “land of flowers” in Spanish? It’s called that because when the Spanish arrived in Florida in the 16th century, the coastlines were dotted with flowers in reds, oranges, yellows, white, pinks, and purples. Plants and flowers still grow tall and beautiful there, where it is sunny and warm almost all year long.
Spread out green cutout of shape of Florida, in the center of the circle.
This story takes place in a city in Florida called Orlando.
Point to the area where Orlando is.
One very early Sunday morning, in June of 2016, three hundred people came together at a dance club to have fun, to celebrate life, to enjoy themselves, enjoy the music, and enjoy being alive. They were dressed in their fine clothing, and held hands, and danced salsa and merengue.
Place rainbow circle in Central Florida area. Place 8-10 of the peg people (some rainbow, some skin toned) in a circle on this circle, some standing close together, some not.
A man came to the dance party. He didn’t like the people at the dance party. He didn’t like men who loved men or women who loved women or people of genders or sexualities that he didn’t understand. He was afraid of the way they loved, and he covered up his fear with anger. Instead of getting help with his anger, he found ways to feed his anger. His anger grew and grew and grew until he stopped seeing the people at the dance party as people with families and feelings and good hearts and strong minds.
Place one skin-toned figure near but outside of the circle of dancers. Place felt gun next to him.
This man came to the dance party with a gun, a gun that is especially made for killing people, such as in a war, and he began shooting into the crowd of happy, dancing people.
People ran everywhere. They ran out of the dance party. They hid in bathrooms and under tables. Many people helped others who had been injured. They carried people out as they ran. They helped as many people escape as they could.
Remove about half of the dance club people from the area and set into one small basket off to the side.
When it was all over, 49 people had been shot to death, and 53 people were hurt very badly. The man himself had been shot by the police.
Remove remaining people, including the shooter and the gun, from the underlay. Place the gun to the side, and place the people gently and slowly into the other small basket, which has been lined with the handkerchief. Slowly fold the handkerchief over the people. Bring the basket into your lap. Place your hand on the basket, and close your eyes, as if saying a brief prayer, then place it to the side.
The name of the place where the dance party happened was called “Pulse.” Maybe you’ve heard that word? A pulse is a rhythmic beat, a dance beat, or a heartbeat.
Point to rainbow circle.
The next day, people gathered to cry and hold one another. They were so sad, so confused, so scared. Unitarian Univesalists gathered in their churches to share their feelings and to comfort each other. Others gathered in their churches, too. We gathered to remember that we are loved, we are safe, and we can share each other’s hard feelings so that we know we’re not alone.
Place large red heart over the rainbow circle.
Even in the depth of their sadness, the UU’s and others in Orlando knew they could not--would not--abandon those who needed help. The Unitarian Universalists in Orlando opened up their church to anyone who needed to talk, anyone who wanted to cuddle with a gentle therapy dog to help them feel safe, anyone who needed some time and help to feel OK for a few minutes after such a terrible thing. The Unitarian Universalists hosted a blood drive. Do you know what a blood drive is? It’s where people who are strong and healthy volunteer to give some of their blood to people who are sick and injured and in great need of blood. (This is a very good thing to do any time, but it’s especially important when there are many injured people.) In so many ways, UU’s and others surrounded this huge, scary thing with a circle of love, with thousands of acts of helping and kindness, with reminders that we are all one people, and we need each other, and are there for each other.
Place all people except for those in basket with handkerchief in a circle around the heart, equally spaced.
When something awful, something terrifying, something that seems like it comes straight from a nightmare occurs, we come together to remind each other that yes, the world is hurting, but for every person who hurts another, there are 1,000 who can help, who did help, who always will help. There are so many more helpers than hurters.
Slowly trace your finger through the air above the circle of felt/peg people. Then, open your palm facing upward and indicate around the circle of those gathered, bringing everyone into this circle of love and hope.
And every day, we can choose to be one of the helpers. We can choose to love so strong that the hurts of the world will be healed.
What are we doing, as Unitarian Universalists, to be helpers?
(As you speak the below, point at one felt/peg person, then another. Or, if you are using flowers, place three or four flowers at a time in a bigger circle around the circle of peg people.)
We are writing to our politicians and demanding that they stop allowing regular people to buy these kinds of war guns. We demand that they ask people questions before selling them guns, so they know if they might be someone who intends to do harm to others with it. We spread ideas about love and acceptance of one another. We stand on the side of love, all kinds of love. We do this work for understanding through clear and nonviolent means.
(Place remaining flowers, if using them.) Bring hand to own heart.
And we reach deep into our faith to find the courage to keep doing this sacred work together for a better world.
I wonder how you feel right now?
I wonder if you have any questions?
I wonder if this story reminds you of anything else you’ve seen or heard?
I wonder where is God/the Spirit of Mystery and Wonder/the holy in this story?
I wonder what part of this story you’re thinking about the most?
I wonder if you know how deeply loved you are, by all of us in the community, loved exactly how you are?
Slowly, reverently, put pieces back in basket.
