It All Matters

This morning as I sip my coffee and enjoy the sound of the calming rain outside, I am listening to the news. This is not a political blog by any means, but I would be remiss if I did not share my thoughts. Let’s start with, Covid-19 is real. Very real. People have lost their lives in hospitals and at home unable to breath. It is a pandemic and although we are slowly getting it under control, it is not gone. It is not over, it has just slowed. We still need to be vigilant as a community to ensure it does not make a violent return to our community and take more lives. People during this time have lost their jobs, home, family members and turned to faith, self reflection, family and friends. This was an incredibly challenging time for our entire world. They will find a vaccine, this will eventually come to an end but for now, this is a very real part of our life.

Part of what I reflected on was our community during this time. People actually came together to help other people, we got out into our community for fresh air and exercise, we helped reduce pollution and we all pressed reset on life. We checked on our neighbors, family members, churches, and friends. We made decisions and our government made decisions. My hope was we would come out of this pandemic as kinder people, appreciative of the life that surrounds us and more respectful of those we encounter. Then, we all watched it on tv, George Floyd. We didn‘t see what happened before but we did see what happened to him and it was wrong. The police officer made an awful decision that took a life. Our Nation watched it and turned to riots, looting and protests. We took an opportunity for change and we as a people also became angry and violent. Black Lives Matter. All Lives Matter. You Matter. The question I keep asking myself is how do we actually come together as a community and make a change? How do we change this mindset of white or black to a mindset that does not see color but sees people. I have friends that I love like brothers and sisters in all ages and races. I see no color that separates us. They are doctors, lawyers, social workers, nurses, executives, police officers, hard working, God-fearing, loving, caring, compassionate people. We do not divide each other but instead lift each other up and celebrate our friendships. Our mindset needs to change and our eyes needs to be opened to stop seeing color and start recognizing people that were created in the image of God and placed in this world for a reason.

We are barely through this year and we are just entering hurricane season. We already have a named storm. This 2020 year has been a year so far for us to learn from and grow from. We get to make that choice. We can choose to be angry and violent or we can choose to find joy and acceptance. Over and over again, I will choose joy, I will choose acceptance, I will love my friends and family to no end and I will go to work every day to serve a forgotten and shunned community of people that matter to me. I cannot control what happens around me but I can control how I react to it and I can control my actions and only hope that others will follow with the same. Be safe, be well and please be kind to others.