Last night I had a great post in my head about religious covering for women and what a complicated issue they are. Somewhat in response to the recent laws being past/considered outlawing them (in Quebec of all places!) and somewhat in response to seeing a woman in walmart wearing a full covering. I don’t know enough about the issue to use one of the technical names. Unfortunately Mike came home before I could write it, and I’ve forgotten all the interesting things I had to say about freedom of religion and oppression of woman.
But I did want to reflect on my reaction. First I was shocked. Special religious head gear is not uncommon around here, but Amish/old Mennonite head coverings are a part of my mental construct of Goshen. This woman’s outfit didn’t fit into my frame of reference. After the initial shock came interest. Who was this woman and how brave she must be to chose to set herself apart in such a dramatic way. Then came the doubt that it was completely her choice. But do we ever truly chose who we are, what we wear, what we become? Aren’t we all products of our upbringing, family history, religion, belief system or lack there of, societal expectations… and on and on? My last reaction before I moved on was to scan the crowd around her. Was anyone staring (except me :-P)? Did she experience hate in our community because of her choice? The fact that this was possible, even probable left me with a lingering sadness.
Lady In Green 
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