statueLast week was quite a week for the United States and the world. Some of us woke up elated that, finally, we have elected a fresh face to the political scene. Someone dynamic, charismatic with new ideas and certainly a different approach to politics. Some of us woke feeling quite the opposite; that we have elected a candidate unfit to serve, a candidate accused of sexual assault by 11 women, a candidate with zero experience navigating the terrain of international relations. While many people are celebrating, many others are reeling and scared. In the midst of the election’s divisive outcome, we have to remember that we belong…period. All of us. No matter what our ethnicity, our sexual orientation, our gender, our class status, our education, or our religion. In the grocery store last week, there was a young woman wearing her hijab. We could see the fear in her face even as she would not lift her head enough to meet anyone’s eyes. We kept looking for a moment to connect, to offer a smile, a moment of recognition of our shared humanity. We did not get that opportunity. We sent her a moment of kindness anyway. No one group or person gets to determine who belongs on this Earth. It’s not their right to determine. Everyone was equally and freely given life. If we did not belong here, we would not be here. Period. This is a moment it behooves us to remember: love is the antidote to fear and is always always, always the answer. So, if you are feeling afraid, if you have a sense that you or those you love are no longer safe, if you don’t know how to cross what looks like a divide too big and too formidable to cross, ask yourself:
  • What is staying in fear producing?
  • How could I shift myself right now that would make a difference for me or for you?
  • What matters most in this moment?
  • What offer of kindness and respect might I show?
  • How do I want to cross the miles of separation that appear to be between us?
  • How do we learn to speak to each other and find the unity within the opposites?
Each of us will have a different answer. Love demands that we ask the question. Blessings to all beings. May we find a path to peace. Jen and Gina