SO WHAT HAPPENED IN MISSOURI ON SUNDAY?

People came together to be with each other after a horrific murder happened in another city many miles away.  The gathering was held in a barren auditorium. The expectation was that there would be a few hundred people there.  The day was warm and sunny.

The program was put together quickly.  The people grew from a small number to hundreds and they
came in a steady stream until they filled the 1200 seat auditorium to capacity.  Many stood in the back.

Some people came from neighborhoods close by.  Others came from distant areas.  They were young and elderly people with canes, with walkers, some in motorized scooters.  Sturdy parents and grandparents pushed carriages and carried children.

The program began later than expected because the stream of people kept coming.

Leaders representing all facets of American life were on the platform. There were educators, clergy of all denominations, and political candidates and incumbents, and state and local police and guards.

The names of the people murdered in Pittsburgh were placed in front of the platform and the audience was asked to remember them and their families and their communities.

Is it comforting to ask why?  I don't think so.  We can no longer overlook the physical and mental anguish that words and ignorance produce.  We can no longer allow death and destruction to keep us
from thinking.  Neither walls nor guns nor elaborate schemes must be allowed to entice us away from    speaking out.

What happened in Pittsburgh will happen here in St. Louis unless we can recognize that the stranger in our midst is not the threat. The threat is our reluctance to accept words that claim otherwise, whether uttered by elected officials or ourselves.  

REMEMBER TO VOTE NOVEMBER 6.

HOW SHALL WE REMEMBER?

There is a drawer in my cabinet that I seldom open.  It contains very old files.  One of those files holds letters in a language I cannot read.  The letters were from my Grandmother to her family whom she and my grandfather left when they came to this country

 I was fortunate to know and visit with all of my grandparents, there were four all of whom  came to this country legally. I thought of them and of a conversation I had today at lunch with a friend who had returned from a trip with her daughter. My friend told me of her visit and the places she had not seen since childhood. She spoke of the memories she recalled and how startled her daughter was to hear about those memories.

My sons knew first hand of their great grandparents.  They knew too of the memories and the circumstances that had brought their great grandparents here.  Among those memories were stories  of  turbulence and persecution  and vicious edicts.  Memories that included kindness, help and the opportunity they found in their new country.

I thought of all this when I opened my newspaper and saw the pictures of the immigrants at this country's borders.  The same words and actions that were used against my grandparents are used now but for different people.

How we treat and understand the stranger in our midst will color our lives.  The memories my friend shared with her daughter also included memories of neighbors and neighborhoods. Memories that were joyful yet may have been harder to recount but are stored now in the memories of my friend's daughter.

It is time to recognize that we live in a period of major world-wide migration.  How shall we recognize this historical moment?  With bellicose words and saber rattling? Or will we have the wisdom to learn about the memories of the people making up this migration?

REMEMBER TO VOTE NOVEMBER 6, 2018

REMEDY TO OVERCOME "FRIGHTENING TIMES"?

So what should we do if we live in "Frightening Times."

Begin by turning  off the noise!  Go to the movies to see "Science Fair" the award-winning documentary written and directed by Cristina Constantina and Daren Foster.

The film features a group of students, their friends and families and depicts what happens to them when they all undertake impossible challenges, individually and collectively.

It is the story of who we are as Americans working with other "citizens" from around the world.  The film demonstrates that  we still live in a country dedicated to justice and opportunity.  And it shows the willingness of the young and old to listen and respect each other as we work to achieve a common goal through education.

Yes, we are living through changing times.  Sometimes we move a step forward and sometimes a step backward but we know from our history we need not be afraid.  We will prevail! We will do so not because we live through "Frightening Times" but because of our constant quest to better ourselves.

We will do so with the courage of young people.  We will look to their inquisitiveness and persistence to welcome change.  We will do so because they and we know and agree that we live in a country that is ruled by laws. We and they will take all this and march toward the future, leaving a past filled with turmoil and "Frightening Times."

 Go see "SCIENCE FAIR" and VOTE ON NOVEMBER 6.

ANOTHER FAIRY TALE?

Early in September, a 17-year-old Billings, Montana high school student's quiet reaction to a speech by the President of the United States of America caught the attention of people through out the country.

The student's face was caught by news cameras as he reacted to what the President was saying.  The story and photo appeared in newspapers and on social media as "The Plaid Shirt Guy."

It reminded me of the Fairy Tale about the Parade for the King who wanted to show off his new diamond encrusted robes. People, young and old alike filled the streets for the parade.  There were crowds everywhere until someone yelled, "Look! He is not wearing any clothes!"

And than the streets were empty.
                           

FALL 2018: TIME FOR REFLECTION & RENEWAL?

Weather on the calendar or in our faith, we seem to sense this is a period to reflect and examine the pattern of our life.

We may not be as astute as Mother Nature who provides trees with the ability to turn leaves or  who creates  nervousness  in Animals and  birds as they sense another season or storm coming but we feel it.

 Whatever faith or custom or ritual we have, or don't have, it is a time of renewal.  We feel a need to better understand our self sometimes through memory alone.

Our children begin school.  Our family moves farther away or comes closer.  We warm to challenges.

We don't seem as wary of different faces. We are strong with a universal sense of purpose.

We prepare for autumn while knowing it will be followed by winter's chill finally followed by spring.  We measure our responsibility toward this planet, the place we call home.

In stillness, we are called upon to reflect on our actions.   We are pledged to behave as warriors to protect all that we know is right.  We will do so through our votes and the laws of this great nation!

May the time ahead be good to all of us and to all those we hold dear.

HAVE WE LOST TRUST OF EACH OTHER?

We learned of the death of Senator John McCain just before Labor Day.  We watched his funeral.

 We saw the Senator's family. We heard about his sense of humor, his capacity to understand his own failings  and the strength he showed in adversity.  We wondered have we as a people lost a sense of honesty and trust which had been so much a part of what we remembered of him?

We live in a time of great change.  Drastic changes happen to our planet each day. We are told there is no climate change!  Guns are used to kill innocent people!  We buy more guns and do little to vote for candidates who will enforce Federal gun laws.

We were told to do away with health plans because of misleading information by insurance and political interests!  Senator McCain voted with a simple "thumbs down" to stop the rhetoric.

We are told about injustices suffered by people who are different!  We know this violates the meaning of equal and fair justice for people yet we discourage advocates for these very same ideals.

We are told some religions are better than others! Then we watched  Senator McCain's family walk past the Vietnam Memorial Wall inscribed with the names of people of all faiths and cultures.

We watched the people lining the streets of Washington, DC,  and those who stopped to watch the funeral pass by.  We listened to "Oh Danny Boy" and "Amazing Grace." We saw an untapped strength of character and trust in people that we may not have seen before.

After watching the funeral of Senator  McCain I  know we will survive the changes we need to make! We will do so with a  renewed  sense of respect for this country's Laws and with the strength  of trust we have for each other.

NOW IT IS OUR TURN!

Sometimes the smallest word or action can turn things upside down or inside out no matter where you are.   As we leave the month of July we are confronted by all the things we meant to do before the summer ends.  We begin August thinking of all the things  we still need to do before another season begins.  One of those things we need to do right now.

Today get ready to vote in the 2018 primary elections!

Primary Elections may seem pointless but they are a way to sort out candidates and important issues that could help us get things "right side up." Shrill political rhetoric will not provide us with respect for each other or for international and national and local agreements any more than covering over injustices with pithy sayings and slogans will work to provide the sense of security we want.

Our effectiveness in a primary election will be successful if we acquaint ourselves not with a single issue  alone but if we increase our willingness to read, listen to opposite points of view and then begin the hard work toward fulfilling our role as citizens of this great country by voting.

 Become a part of the process of governing by laws not by edict. VOTE!