The Book of Mev according to Lauren Daugherty

“When photographing children in Missouri, Haiti or Brazil, I ask, ‘Dare I invade their lives at this moment?’ Yet how can I not share these children with the world . . .” (56).

It is through photographs like Mev’s that have captured many people’s attention to the problems in other parts of the world. For me, hearing about tragedies in other parts of the world does not always spark my interest. It seems so far away. But putting an innocent face to the situation, showing me what the problem is rather than telling me is more proactive and strikes a chord of emotion. Plus pictures, although containing some bias, are left more open to interpretation than someone’s words. You can’t necessarily believe everything you hear, but photographs are tangible proof that these problems exist.

“Consumerism is to consume for the mere pleasure more than is necessary. This is exactly the contrary when you come from a poor country. . . That is, here in the U.S. the most sought-after foods are low-calories. The most valued foods in poor countries are those with calories” (33).

Ironic isn’t it? We take SO much for granted, so much. I take SO much for granted. I paid 300 dollars this year to go see the Cardinals win the World Series. 300 dollars elsewhere in the world could buy a house. What is wrong with us? If we took all the money brought in from the World Series this year, how many people could we provide shelter for? People are going cold and hungry because I had to see a baseball game. It makes me feel so guilty to think about it. I just feel overwhelmed thinking about it sometimes.

“What do we fill our God-shaped hole with? Positive addictions and negative ones? Writing ambitions? Mozart and fall leaves?” (94).

I fill mine with everything, but God sometimes. I go shopping, I party, I run, I work, I gossip, I eat, I study, study, study, all the while turning farther and farther away from God. I can feel it when this happens. The hole never feels quite full, no matter how much of each of the above things I do. Although it is important for me to take at least a few minutes of each day to maintain and develop a relationship with Him, I forget that this is also possible through many of the activities that I enjoy. God is with us at all times of the day, not just at church, or when we pray. How easy it is to be distracted and forget!

“These are the single acts of kindness, each one like a single stitch, a single snowflake of lace, that perhaps we can only interpret rightly and fully appreciate, in their wholeness and beauty, after her death” (156).

I just thought these words were beautiful in themselves. I picture each person like a work of art, be it a painting, a sculpture, a quilt, a photograph. All of the person’s acts, good and bad, make a brushstroke, a “stitch”, a pixel. The finished product (although for many, the piece may remain forever incomplete when they have been called to God early, like Mev) should tell the story of who the person is. If the person was good, the artwork would reflect those little acts of kindness, reflection, compassion, selflessness. However, the selfish, unkind, and/or unjust person will be found out through their artwork. I can remind myself that if in order to be beautiful, I need to make every little act count for something because all acts remain a part of you, even if you have forgotten them because someone else has not.

“Humanity as humanity doesn’t commit suicide. So I believe that humanity will begin to open its eyes, and return to a naturalness and a certain sobriety” (145).

This said in an interview with Mev and Pedro Casaldaliga. I really hope Pedro is right. What we are doing to ourselves is like committing suicide; a slow, painful death. However, we do not purposefully do it with the intention of hurting ourselves. As we start to realize the impact of our selfish actions, like polluting with abandon, practicing consumerism, waging war, we shall, hopefully, attempt to reverse the damage. If reversal is at all possible. I cannot picture how this would occur, but I like to think that it will, one person at a time.

“’Mark, we just don’t know why God is taking Mev away from you.’ Pause. ‘But who knows? Maybe in a few years He’ll give you somebody else’” (312).

I hesitated to put this quote in, but I kept thinking about it so it seemed right. It stirred a reaction in me, made me really feel for you, Mark. Like you said elsewhere in the book, people would often try to comment about Mev to you, but their timing was off, or yours was. This person’s timing was way off! Actually his whole thought process was off. God wasn’t just taking Mev away from you, He was taking her from so many others whose lives she touched either directly, or indirectly. But at the same time God was giving her back because like the quote above says, “we can only interpret rightly and fully appreciate, in their wholeness and beauty, after her death”. He has givin her back to me, to all others who read The Book of Mev, hear by word of mouth about her acts of kindness, and see her photography. I know Mev is still with you and in that sense, God did not take her from you, but brought you both closer.

Lauren Daugherty studied Social Justice in fall 2006. She is in the Physical Therapy doctoral program at SLU.