My dear colleague, the Rev. Chip Roush, is a wonderful human being who puts to words many thoughts and feelings that I find to be very helpful. He has given me permission to share them with you. The political climate we find ourselves in is like no other, although it does remind us of our past as humans. May this writing give us hope.

For those of us who are concerned
by the violence around us;
For those who fear the rage
in the people attending some rallies:

first, congratulations;
your fears are proof that you have a conscience;
and your grief is a sign of the depth of your compassion;

Also, it is a sign that you are paying attention;

We will need awareness,
and compassion
and creativity
to get through these next years
of our human evolution.

Fortunately, we have these capacities in us;
we have fears, yes,
and we also have love;
and we continue to teach love to our children.

As Thandeka reminds us,
we are descendants
of generations of people
who refused to surrender their humanity
in an inhumane world.

We draw from the followers of Jesus,
who tended to the sick
even as it put their own lives in peril;

We draw from our Jewish ancestors,
who celebrated their faith
even while surrounded
by those who would kill them for it;

We draw from the Religious Humanists
who smuggled books
teaching Hispanic culture
into the state of Ariznona,
which had removed those books from its school curricula;

We draw from our peaceful Muslim cousins
who stand in silent witness
in the middle of rageful political mobs,
who are dragged away,
threatened and spat upon;

We draw from hunger-striking women,
and from pride parading friends
we draw from Latinas and Latinos
praying and singing for immigration justice;
and from all those
whose civil disobedience insists
that Black Lives do Matter.

Of course, we would prefer
that things get better, rather than worse;
fortunately we can still act
to help our world
evolve in a more human direction.

We can yet speak up
and make plain our dissent.

We can still muster compassion
and treat the root causes of the rage;
we can live out our assertion
that only love can overcome fear.

This is our time;
this is our turn
to turn despair into hope
through the crucibles of our hearts.

So may we be. – Rev. Chip Roush

Rev. Nan L. White
RVUUF Developmental Minister