The next morning, I awoke to my dad's phone call at 7am asking if I'd watched the news. It's not how I typically start my Sunday mornings, but after I listened to his concerns I immediately tuned in by heading to the computer screen. Up to this point, I've felt very confident with the decision and how everything has unfolded for us as a family, but as the mother hen, my first priority is always safety. As I watched and read the news, my immediate reaction was, "What are we doing???" That...and...the need to go to church to replace the images from the computer with positive thoughts. I also needed to hear Mike's voice and be reassured that all would be okay. The reassurances finally came at 6am (yes, another early phone call) but this is one I'd been anticipating for the past 36 hrs.
After talking with Mike for about 30 minutes, I let out a huge sigh. I was reminded that the media capitalizes on other's emotional responses, and unlike the violent protests that the media portrayed, this event was far from. The intent was a peaceful protest in respoonse to a green space that the Prime Minister hoped to replace with a shopping mall. Being raised in the 70's, we missed the protests of the 60's, so this is unchartered territory for us. It appears that the current government has been exercising more control, and, due to the reactive response of the government with this protest in the park, this prompted more citizens to respond to some of the restrictions they're currently feeling. Interestingly enough, the Prime Minister left with his family on a 5 day vacation.
So....I feel reassured, and for those of you whom have also expressed worry and concern, you should too. It is an interesting time we're living in, and, seeing the citizens active response is actually a good thing, especially when one's freedoms are challenged.
The only snag so far is that the bag with Mike's suits did not arrive yesterday. I'm sure that will get worked out as well.