On an early fall afternoon, perhaps one of the last warm Saturdays of the year, I load up my backpack with a few magazines, a copy of "The Arab World - Forty Years of Change," and a liter of water before heading out towards Green Lake. My walks to and around the lake have been part of my routine for years, but recently this routine has brought me renewed comfort and perspective.

 As I search out a stretch of shaded grass to sit and read on, it appears that everyone has the same urge to find comfort in the familiar as I do. Mothers run past me pushing their baby joggers, elderly couples stroll by arm in arm, and rollerbladers dance in unison as on-lookers sway to the beat. I'm drawn to a familiar patch of grass near the soccer field. The sun warms me as I pull out my Harper's magazine and begin to skim the articles. As I turn the pages, it is the voices ahead of me, on the field, rather than the words on the pages that captivate me. A routine game of pick-up soccer has me spellbound.

 Languages from all over the world bounce back and forth along the field. A man from Russia yells, "Amigo, over here," while his Peruvian teammate kicks the ball past their American opponent. An Ethiopian runs up to intercept the ball and pass it to the Iranian open beside him. Suddenly the symphony of languages coming together from countries as diverse as El Salvador and Egypt, the Ukraine and Turkey feels extraordinary. Differences in nationalities, languages and religious beliefs have been cast aside in the spirit of uniting for a common goal. I watch mesmerized by the flow of communication and camaraderie.

 As I gather my belongings to leave, a spring of hope wells up inside me. If this small diverse group of people can come together despite the fear and prejudice that grips America today, then perhaps there is hope that someday soon it will be routine for all of us who live in America - naturalized Americans and immigrants alike - to live and play together in the spirit of a common goal: peace and prosperity for all.

 - DENISE LAFOUNTAINE, Maple Leaf