Wednesday, January 20, 2021

New Day

 

Turning Point

“This is a day of new beginnings/ step from the past and leave behind/ our disappointment, guilt, and grieving/ seeking new paths and sure to find…”

Brian Wren (“This Is a Day of New Beginnings,” Vs. 3; Hope Publishing Co., 1983)

          Today, we reset. We begin anew. My prayer is that we can put the entire dark passage of the last four years behind us and rebuild. So many lives have been sacrificed to our political divide—we even made public health take a back seat to our irrational political agenda. There is a line in traditional wedding vows that I have never understood: “to have and to hold from this day forward.” What does it even mean “to have and to hold?” It has always sounded like a hostage situation to me. But today, I hope that Americans can have and hold one another long enough to sort out our differences and that we will keep right on having and holding until we love each other again.

Most of the grief and anxiety produced by this time of dissent and division has happened because people we care about are hurt and angry, and we don’t have a clue how to reach them. What we must do is let go of our ego-driven need to be right, purge the negative emotions around our politics, and dig down deep to find our hope, humility, and optimism. Sounds Pollyanna, I know, but there is no other way to heal than to first, forgive, and then, put aside. There is nothing we can’t do if we pull together. And, right now we need to heal more than anything else. If everyone does their part, we can be better than we have ever been, because now, our eyes are open. We are awake, and we understand who we truly are, and how far we have yet to go. It’s a long way, so we need to help each other. We can do this, with the grace of God.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane

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