Seven years ago, my youngest son's girlfriend died. They were eighteen years old, seniors in high school. He was devastated. I was at a loss as to how to comfort him. I prayed for guidance on how to minister to his broken heart. One day I noticed that he was wearing a hoodie, in spite of the warm spring temperatures. He offered little explanation when I asked about it.  

One day as observed him sitting in the house with his hoodie on, I concluded that the hoodie was his protection. It was helping him cope by blocking out the pain of seeing a world that was continuing when his world seemed to have ended. I imagined at school the hoodie blocked out the images and painful memories throughout the school where he and his girlfriend were active in numerous activities and quite popular. His hoodie insulated him from the unavoidable pain of walking solo in the very halls and classrooms where he had been part of a duo.

This memory of his hoodie came back to me during the recent coverage of the Travon Martin story. I found myself wondering if Travon, feeling threatened by the stranger who was following him, pulled up his hoodie for a sense of protection. Or perhaps he had pulled it over his head earlier, as protection from the rain. I wonder if those who want to portray him as threat have considered that perhaps the hoodie was simply his way of seeking protection when he felt vulnerable, like my own son did.