Putting the words together

There has been a lot of thinking over the past few days, but I have had a hard time coalescing my thoughts into cohesive sentences. This morning, I am going to try.

American Thanksgiving was celebrated on Thursday, November 23. A significant number of people embrace an attitude of gratitude for the month of November, but an even more significant number embrace that attitude on Thanksgiving day.

It is heartwarming to see so many people recognizing the gifts in their lives.

But I have also seen and heard and read multiple accounts of fractured families, where devotion to one ideology or another has created a chasm that can't be crossed, created a hostile environment where love can't find a seat at the table.

I write Christian fiction, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that I am a Christian. I was reminded at church yesterday of our greatest duty as Christians, and that is to care for one another, especially those among us most in need of care.

Devotion to an ideology over people is a baffling choice to me. I want to make it clear, no one, I repeat no one, has a right to demand that anyone subscribe to or embrace their beliefs. We all have agency, and can choose what we want to believe in and give our time and talent to.

What I don't understand is embracing a belief system that demands you shun and demonize people who do not think like you do. Again, to be clear, it is healthy to choose to distance yourself from people who tell you that you are broken, or less than, or not worthy.

It is not healthy to tell people they are broken, or less than, or not worthy. Another tenant of Christianity that seems to have gotten lost is "Judge not lest ye be judged." " The measure you use is the measure you will be given."

If you have read my books, you know that the people in my stories try very hard to make their world the best it can be by extending love and grace to the people around them. I created that world in my stories because that is the world I want to live in.

I know it can seem as if my fictional world is "magical reality". But it doesn't have to be. It can be our reality if we consciously choose to lead with love. Over and over. Every day. It is a choice to wake up and say that I will be kind today. I will be compassionate today. I will seek to understand, rather than to judge. I will protect my own emotional and mental health, and I will not inflict harm on someone else's emotional and mental health.

It is easy to get caught in the tidal wave of meanness that often dominates public discourse. But you can choose a different path. You can choose a different reality. And if more of us make that choice, we can live in a better world.