On Sunday, Mother's Day, I attended the Million Mom March in Washington, D.C. This opportunity was made possible because of several factors: my own adult age children were either out-of-state (San Diego) or understanding of my desire to participate in this worthwhile event, my own Mom is out-of-state, and my husband's Mom could be feted by her son's culinary activity. There was the added impetus that my Mom will soon be 80 and my sister has a 5 year old and a 3 month old; while both of these women had the will and spirit to participate, neither could do so in person. So, filled with the charge to represent them, as well as myself, off I went.

Now, lest you think I'm a novice when it comes to rallying, let me share with you the fact that my son, when asked in elementary school what his mom did, told one and all that "She rallies." At that time in my volunteer life I did do some lobbying at the General Assembly. But Peter evidently thought I was constantly in the midst of a clamoring throng! Anyway, I have attended a few rallies and protests along the way, and let me tell you, what a difference in comfort level three decades, marketing, and money make! We traveled from Richmond on airconditioned buses (with on-board bathrooms and video screens) to the parking lot of the Pentagon. Purchasing exact amount metro passes from the organizers and being handed directions on routes and activities made our journey a little like the experience of arriving at DisneyWorld, pulling into the Pluto parking lot, and setting off on the monorail with tickets and maps in hand. Relying on our memories of rallies-past, we carded with us enough provisions to call to mind the Siege on Leningrad. And we were not alone. However, "the necessities of life" seem to have evolved into easy- folding designer camp chairs, micro-sized binoculars and cameras, spf 300 mango fragranced sun screen, Ukrops-prepared gourmet foods, and, of course, enough designer bottled water for the French Foreign Legion to cross the Sahara. Ah, the times they are a-changing.

But I don't want to mislead you. The moms, dads, nanas, grampas, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, brothers-FOLK-who were able to literally put their own lives on hold and who came together that day, share much with the rallyers of old. Some reflective themes floated through my mind as I rode home on a very quiet bus: energizing, exhaustive, idealism, practicality, unifying, self-selective, almost a million, not all moms, sanctifying, sanctimonious, humorous, gravely serious, star-studded, next-door neighbors, port-a-potty hedgerows, river of votes, tolerance for "us," non-comprehension for "the others," focus on issue, fragmented on follow-up. These were some of my impressions; others may have a different take. But most of all, what I saw in the eyes of my "new best friends" was a desire to be part of the solution, to play a substantive role, to feel that someone, somewhere, will benefit from their actions taken on that very special day.

Enough IS enough. We Chesterfield Democrats CAN be a part of the solution, CAN play a substantive role, CAN make sure that someone, somewhere, will benefit from their actions. Senator Chuck Robb shares the goals of the Million Mom March; Vice-President A Gore shares the goals of the Million Mom March. Getting them ELECTED is how we do our part. And then maybe, in the future, it won't be necessary for my daughter or my son, or your daughter or your son, to rally on our behalf for the innocent victims of gun violence.

Lynne Cooper is past chair of Chesterfield County's Democratic Committee and the mother of two of children who graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (fax, May 20, 2000).