I been riding my bike several days a week. We’ve had some beautiful weather and Frederick County has wonderful country roads for biking. We’ve had a chance to enjoy eating outside on our deck several times and we’ve watched the sun set. Wanda and I visited a friend last evening in the back yard and we spent a similar evening with our neighbors last week. Although we still need to be careful, people are returning to some of the practices that they did before the virus struck last March.
As we weigh the safety and comfort level of each activity, I am thinking much more about what meaning each that activity has in my life. It’s good to go to the grocery store and when I do, I give thanks for those who grew and produced the food, those who shipped it, those who stock it on the shelves and sell it. I think about the garage that fixes my car, those who pick up the trash and recycling, those who carry letters and packages to my door.
I hope that I will continue to be mindful of the people around me and those who work to make life better for everyone. Maybe my eyes and heart will be a bit more open than it was before. That is my prayer.
-Pastor Steve
An invitation
The death of George Floyd while under police custody has started a movement. I was impressed with the organizers and the crowd that came out for the Frederick March for Justice on Friday, June 5. And many demonstrations across the US and in other places around the world have brought attention to policing practices and the ways in which black and brown persons have been treated.
Each of us will have our own experiences and opinions about how the problem should be defined and just should be done. But the moment calls for us to listen and work towards being a nation where such heinous and evil acts do not take place and liberty and justice is available for all.
I want to learn more about how racism is experienced by African Americans and consider ways that I can reduce racism as a white person. I am also planning to watch the movie Just Mercy based on the work of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson. It is available for free this month on Apple TV, Xfinity, Amazon, Prime video and at https://www.justmercyfilm.com/. I am also reading Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. (2015).