When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade We've braved the belly of the beast We've learned that quiet isn't always peace And the norms and notions of what just is Isn’t always just-ice And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it Somehow we do it Somehow we've weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken but simply unfinished We the successors of a country and a time Where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president only to find herself reciting for one And yes we are far from polished far from pristine but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect We are striving to forge a union with purpose To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us but what stands before us We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another We seek harm to none and harmony for all Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we grieved, we grew That even as we hurt, we hoped That even as we tired, we tried That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious Not because we will never again know defeat but because we will never again sow division Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree And no one shall make them afraid If we’re to live up to our own time Then victory won’t lie in the blade But in all the bridges we’ve made That is the promised glade The hill we climb If only we dare It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit, it’s the past we step into and how we repair it We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy And this effort very nearly succeeded But while democracy can be periodically delayed it can never be permanently defeated In this truth in this faith we trust For while we have our eyes on the future history has its eyes on us This is the era of just redemption We feared at its inception We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour but within it we found the power to author a new chapter To offer hope and laughter to ourselves So while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe? Now we assert How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us? We will not march back to what was but move to what shall be A country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation Our blunders become their burdens But one thing is certain: If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left with Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west, we will rise from the windswept northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states, we will rise from the sunbaked south We will rebuild, reconcile and recover and every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful will emerge, battered and beautiful When day comes we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid The new dawn blooms as we free it For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it If only we’re brave enough to be it I particularly love Lady Gaga's performance at the Inauguration yesterday. Her rendition of The National Anthem was beautiful. She took some heat on her outfit, but I thought it was great. I believe that gold dove is meant to be a peace dove, not a Hunger Games mockingjay. (Though if she'd said "may the odds be ever in your favor," it would've been totally appropriate, America.) :-) These two have made history in so many ways!
Congratulations, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris!! You're amazing!! (so sorry you've inherited such a mess...) PS: Cutest. Picture. Ever I'd love to give artistic credit where credit is due, however, I have no idea who did this. It's a beautiful, inspirational piece, for certain! The artist is very talented.
![]() We need more kindness, more love. Not Violence. Not Hate. Not Death Threats. None of that is good. People in power, whether political or otherwise, should be especially careful because their support base listens, and some interpret it as gospel...and then go on the attack. See the violent protesting, bomb threats and even murderous suggestions? I have never seen such herd insanity and I am truly disappointed and saddened by our once great Nation. Every generation it's gotten worse. When I was a young child, I didn't recognize it. That is the beauty of innocence. No child is born evil, they are made that way. With age, it didn't take long to see that the world wasn't all sunshine and daisies. This election, these political times, have fueled more dangerous hate and division than ever. With regards to our election, sure, it is 100% fine to have a range of feelings. You can be ecstatic. Happy. Tearful. Angry. It's a process that we all for our emotional stability have to experience. It isn't okay, however, to be violent and bring harm, whether physical or emotional (such as cyberbullying), to fellow brothers and sisters. It's especially shameful if done in God's name. The President is not the King. We are a Nation in desperate need of healing. We need each other now more than ever. Before it's too late. United we stand, divided we fall. We need to be the people we want ourselves to be...the good people we see in the mirror. Let us be the people we can be proud of. Let us work together, help bring peace and calm to our Nation and to the World. Let us be the people that generations to come can be grateful for. I don't care who you voted for. I care about your heart, your soul, who you were, are and may become. When I say I love you, regardless of whether I know you or not, I am speaking with love and hope in my heart for unification and for a better Nation and World. We are not here to hate, divide and live among chaos. ![]() Let me preface this by acknowledging that I am not perfect nor better than anyone else and I’m accountable for all that I knowingly do and say. Now… The 2020 Presidential Election Oh boy! (eek!!) Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day. The smell of fresh riots blocking polling districts. The crazy social media battles. The tug o’ war between hope and hate. The cheering. The jeering. The crying. As I've already voted, I’m going outside once tomorrow. Just once. Going to get my free drink from Starbucks and hope that I don’t get attacked by anyone—got word of some angry political mobs in my neighborhood (I’m between two major polling locations). To the detriment of my peace of mind, I plan to stay up all night watching those votes pour in. Who's with me?? :-) It’s going to be historic, whomever wins. For better, for worse, we’re going to have a President. Will it be Trump again or will it be Biden? The polls say one thing, providing hope for some and dismay for others. And then there are other possible stressy factors like voter fraud, hacker activity and other popular conspiracy theories. Oh and we can’t forget the “ever popular” possibility of the popular vote being trumped, no pun intended, by the Electoral College. Do we seriously need an Electoral College? That system is antiquated. No matter who wins, the next 4 years won't be all sunshine and daisies. Some voters—on both the left and the right—believe their candidate to be the savior we’ve been waiting for. Umm…no. There’s only one Savior. You know Him. The Almighty Popular Dude in Heaven Who Loves Us: Jesus! Neither Biden nor Trump has the power to save us. They do, however, have the power to make things better or worse. And both have exclusive rights to the launch codes. There are a few groups of people out there. The loudest seem to be the fringe (both sides). So much hate. So much violence. So much chaos. It’s worse than it’s ever been. Politics really has a way of setting the world on fire. We the People have a heart condition of epic proportions. Fix that and perhaps things like, I dunno, Presidential leadership, won’t be so much of a big deal? And maybe we can actually start helping each other with the key issues at hand. Being an Independent is a really funny place to be. I’m an Independent because I have what are considered a combination of progressive and conservative interests/values/viewpoints/whatever you want to call them. The stereotype is that all Democrats and Republicans think and believe a certain way according to their party. While that seems to be true, that’s not the case for everyone and perhaps there are more Independents than realized. Here are some examples that don’t live up to the crazed stereotypes of what both parties say they champion:
That’s just a miniscule set of examples. There are more! Neither Republicans nor Democrats should lump each other into stereotypical groups because not only are stereotypes hurtful, many times they are false. I have been hurt during the course of this election. And it goes beyond unfriending. Because I’m Team Biden, I’ve been lumped into the non-Christian category, the baby killer category and of course I must also be a witch. One person has said that they’ll pray for my soul... While it’s always good to pray for people, be mindful of why you say "I'll pray for you" because it's not always nice.. The majority of the time I don’t voice my stance on politics or specific political concerns for the sake of preserving my peace of mind and not destroying relationships. I don’t care who my friends and family vote for because it’s truly none of my business unless they want me to know AND I love each and every one of them for who they are. I’m not going to persecute them and/or put them into nasty stereotyped boxes or call them names. I’m going to love them and hope that they love me back even though I’m on Team Biden. My personal belief is that if re-elected, Trump will make matters worse—for America and the world. He promised to Make America Great Again in 2016. He has not lived up to his long list of promises. In fact, Trump managed to undo quite a lot of progress that President Obama and Vice President Biden had made…there is factual data to prove this, as well. If elected, Biden will have to spend part of the time putting out fires and the other trying to undo the damage of the prior administration (all the while balancing COVID-19 and the upsidedown chaos mess that we’ve become). So whichever team wins the election, may God be with them. May God forgive us for what we do, unknowingly and knowingly. My God heal our hearts and make way for hope to be reborn and flourish. The chaos between us needs to end. The healing needs to begin. We cannot afford to be this way any longer. I love you all. The talented and beautiful Andra Day. Her song, "Rise Up", is...perfect. Take a moment. Sit back. Relax. Listen. Breathe in, breathe out. Release the hate, embrace the love. Love. ![]() I’m not a fan of politics…that’s not the purpose of this website. And when/if politics is mentioned here again, it won’t be often. Politics is sooooo toxic and who needs that? Seriously. Please do not assume what my political beliefs are because I offer a section on Christianity. I’m a middle-of-the-road independent voter who happens to be Christian. Some of my views are liberal while others are conservative. Therefore, when I vote, I do so according to who I feel is the best candidate for the job. That said:
"Danger, Will Robinson"![]() What kind of person President Trump is isn’t for me or anyone on earth to judge. That's God's job. Sure, I admit I've been tempted to call him a bad word like one kid to another on a playground, and I've participated in a few colorful table discussions that I've later regretted... But I have to keep reminding myself that such participation is toxic. And what concerns me (and should concern everyone else) is the flip decision-making and the damaging, dangerous and divisive trickle-down effect of those decisions. Any and all changes have the potential to rock the world, not just the United States, in terrible ways. It's really sad because President Trump and his administration have the ability to do so many wonderful things and they're wasting it. I’m disturbed about the popular beliefs (on both sides of the aisle and voiced by all ethnicities, not just caucasians) that President Trump:
What do I think about this?
Politics is toxic and powerful, but it won't win in the long run![]() In Mark 12:30-31, Jesus said, “(30) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (31) The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Are we doing this? I admit I'm not always great about it and I can bet that I'm not alone. Perhaps we should all try more than we do. Nothing is impossible. There is still a chance for all of us. There is still hope and there is still good in this nation, this world. Together we can make a difference for positive change while we're here. One person at a time. It's not always easy, but one step at a time, it becomes easier.
You are always loved and never truly alone. Feel free to comment in the comment section below, regardless of what your feelings on politics, Christianity, etc. are. You are safe here in this forum. It is not my place to judge you. It is my place to love you, friend who is reading this. So again, please feel free to communicate anything to me. Love, Jen PS: For information on what Christianity is, please visit the Christianity tab on this website or consult your local pastor. |
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May 2022
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