I love the Maplewood community pool. The sounds of old love songs wafting through the speakers is laced with the laughter of children. The smell of fresh air is spiced with chlorine. The glint of the sun dances with the clouds. And the colors! I delight in the gaudy colors of swimsuits and beach towels. The stark red of the lifeguards. And the incredible wonder of skin tones.

Here I see cream and mahogany, milk chocolate and tan. Olive, peach, and ash all splashing together. Here we are unabashedly different yet still one in our common humanity. Here our bits of polyester and spandex cannot hide the sameness of our smiles, the folded arms that caress our children, the running walk of childhood. Here all that separates us really doesn't. Here I have hope that even in this state where Dred Scott brought his failed suit for freedom we can still make peace.

Beside me are the boys from one of the neighborhood summer day camps, unconsciously attending to the work of peacemaking as they enjoy their friendships. Now they are sorting through a pile of dampened shirts. Two of them are talking, one the richest ebony, the other as pale as unfinished oak. They wrap towels around their waists, the hunt for their shirts is forgotten, and their conversation is intense. Now they are running together across the deck on a shared mission, mischievous smirks dancing in the sun. Counselors beware! These boys are friends and life is wide open.

I'm not naïve as I soak in the warmth. I know that these two boys will soon be told (have they already?) that they should not trust each other. That their differences are greater than their commonalties. That, you know, our respective "races" have important histories. That "white privilege" is a right, "affirmative action" a privilege, and "racial profiling" is not a celebration of diversity. Too soon they will learn that avoidance is easier than friendship. But for this moment I bask in the shimmering rainbow and find hope.

Differences need not divide. Cool water refreshes hot skin indiscriminately. Laughter transcends race, age, size, and any other "ism" we throw on the wall. So too love, childhood, and life itself. At the community pool, I not only believe that peace is possible, I behold the path. The summer sun is fleeting, but the promise witnessed here offers the embers of wisdom that can stave off the coming chill.