remember Labor Day

 We are all grateful for holidays, and that most of them are on mondays so we get a 3-day weekend. 

However most of the time we view them only as time off or time for "holiday sales". and we forget the reasons that they are there. And some of them, like Veterans Day, aren't even a paid holiday for everyone.

We tend to see some, like Memorial Day and today, Labor Day, as seasonal markers, rather than what they were originally meant for. Memorial Day, seen as the beginning of summer, was originally set aside as a day for remembering and memorializing those who died in military service of our country, just as Veterans Day (which often is not given as a standard day off for most workers), was set aside to remember all those who served their country in the military. I have family recognized on each day. 

Labor Day, today, was established not as an end to summer, but as a day to remember all who labor and the gains that we all owe to the labor movement in this country. To those who organized, protested dangerous working conditions, and worked hard to change our workplaces for the better. Eight hour days, 40 hr weeks, paid overtime,, the elimination of child labor, workplace safety, and the ability of workers to organize in unions to collectively bargain for better working conditions and improved compensation for their hard labor are just a few of the benefits we have today because of the labor of others who have gone before.

And they persevered, despite harsh resistance from business owners and even government at times. They persevered in the face of government raids, accusations of being unpatriotic and subversive, and other attempts by business to organize against them. They persisted and we need to honor them for it.

So today, as on other holidays, while you are relaxing and enjoying having the day off, remember those who made this day possible and keep vigilant to not let their sacrifices be in vain. Remember especially that you only have any holidays (and paid ones at that) because of what labor organizers have done.

Remember to move your feet

Do you practice what you preach? Talk is cheap, real change costs us in time, effort, and heart.

“I don’t know” – it may be true and it is good to admit instead of trying to create an explanation. But when you really do know, you should say it. Speak the truth instead of trying to hide behind ignorance. I have noticed that lately from officials trying to escape responsibility.

“I’m sorry”…..oh, are you sorry for the wrong that you’ve done, or because you were caught red-handed? It is only as you attempt restitution, express remorse, or turn around (repent) and start doing the right things, that you demonstrate the reality of your apology.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with you”…nice sentiment and comforting words, but have you attempted to really help? If you have the ability to do something to alleviate suffering, prevent further harm, or build a strong foundation to help improve others conditions, then your prayers and thoughts are empty words. You need to put feet to your prayers and quit uttering pious pronouncements.

As the late John Lewis used to say, quoting the African proverb –“when you pray, move your feet”

Bunny counts

 In our confused, contentious, crazy world, it is easy to lose sight of things that are important.

Often we have plenty of people who tell us what we should be paying attention to, and many times they are right. The problem is that we get stressed out, from the seriousness, the multiplicity, and the seeming powerlessness of we common folk to actively affect the outcome of the battles we see all around us. 

Whether it is the covid-19 virus, the racial tensions, or a government that is seemingly unresponsive or worse yet, hostile to our cries for  help in the many crises we face, it all gets to be a bit overwhelming. We all need a break sometimes. No relationship can survive only concentrating on serious matters. My wife and I can be very serious, but we also have a lot of fun. And when all seems dark we need to see the sun breaks. They are often right in front of our faces.

An example for me is my morning walks. Because I work from home daily I could literally jump out of bed and logon to my computer and begin work. I don't because even though I am a life-long early bird (just ask my sisters), I need to get my eyes clear and my mind prepared for the day. And I need the exercise as well. So every day I walk around my neighborhood for 30-45 minutes. I give myself pep talks and remind myself of what I am grateful for specifically.. And I breathe deeply the surrounding green, savor the rain when it falls, and observe the local creatures.

We have plenty of crows, jays, robins, and ducks that fly to and fro, with many different voices. We have squirrels, an occasional raccoon. But my favorite are the local wild rabbits.

I am surprised many times when they dart out from the bush, or I come across them munching the grass beside the sidewalks and trails I travel. I recently discovered we have a local garden by a nearby church that was set up to help people grow their own vegetables during the virus isolation time. That may explain some of the bunny sightings, eh?  Anyway I pay attention , and take pictures, of the local inhabitants. And I often count how many I see on my walks. Sometimes just 1 or 2, a few times up to 9 or 10, and sometimes none at all -like today:(. 

It is a good reminder that life goes on all around us. It gives balance to our lives, helping us weather the storms of life. Kind of like taking a deep breath. So as you do daily battle and stand up for what is right, remember not only to "stop and smell the roses along the way", but also take a "bunny count" - and don't forget to chomp your own carrots:)

Don't be Colorblind

In response to questions about racial inequality many are tempted to say

“ I don’t see color, I view everyone as equal” or “I’m colorblind”

To some that might seem okay, but there are hidden dangers with that approach and there are 3 specific problems.

One is that in reality you are not colorblind – unless you have a vision test that determines your eyes are malfunctioning. And that only means you have trouble distinguishing the red/yellow/green of the stoplights. Everyone notices color differences, as well as other racial/ethnic physical differences. It is as clear as we determine gender differences or height/weight, etc. To say we don’t observe those is just being dishonest. It isn’t wrong to see differences, it is how we react to those differences. And to state that we “don’t see color” is to say we see equality as everyone being like us, not as truly equal as they are.

The second problem with “colorblind” is that it ignores the obvious inequality of background, history, and what different people have had to struggle with in their lives. My wife and I share a lot in common, but we differ greatly in family background – her parents were divorced when she was just 5, my parents were married for 36 years (death do them part) until my mom passed away. That made our growing up time very different. I have several great-nieces and great nephews who are biracial. Their life experiences have been widely different than mine. I will never have to suffer getting profiled or judged wrongly  based on appearance,  but they have had to deal with that all their lives. For me to say I am colorblind is to deny those experiences. And to excuse not extending help in overcoming that obvious bias.

The third problem is a little bit more subtle. I think a lot of people are afraid of diversity and “colorblind” is a way for them to pretend those don’t exist – there is safety in thinking those others are just like us. But those who we see as different have had different experiences, they’re not just like us – and that is okay. Because if you accept and appreciate another’s life experiences you expand your own experience. And you have the opportunity to not just give help, but receive help.

You have the opportunity to bond and grow.

I have learned much over the years as I have embraced diversity. My mom raised me to accept people as equals, no matter who they were, where they were from, no matter how different they appeared to me. And I try to live that out every day.

I am not colorblind, and neither should you. Seeing differences does not diminish the basic equality of value that we ascribe to all.

the power of symbolism

Today is Bastille Day, a national day of celebration for the French. A pivotal day in the history of the country and a beginning of the road to the downfall of the monarchy and the long, lurching road to democracy. And yet in reality not much really happened. Bastille Day is named for the hated French prison is Paris and it was "stormed" that day and "liberated". But did you know that there was only one prisoner in the whole place? I guess you could say that it was the flash of a match that lit the fire of revolution. The whole French Revolution was quite unlike our own- very violent and wide swings of power. Many of the movers and shakers ended up dying at the hands of  the Revolution they created. And it was decades of back and forth between Republic and restored Monarchy before France settled on the organized parliamentary system and multi-party arrangement they have now.
But the symbolism of Bastille Day drove them on.

So too is the Emancipation Proclamation in US History. We mark  it as the first real shot in tackling slavery and yet when it was issued in 1962 it didn't free a single slave. It proclaimed liberty to all slaves residing in the rebelling Confederate states, over which the Union did not exercise control, and said nothing about slaves living in the Union or non-rebelling states. It wasn't until the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in December of 1865 that any slaves north of the Mason-Dixon line were freed. And the importance of Juneteenth, June 19th 1865, was that on that date all the slaves in the South had finally heard the news of the Proclamation and knew that they were legally free, because the South had been occupied by Union troops and could enforce the decree of liberty.

But the power of symbolism was important for both events. It drove people's actions - as the Union Army drove further into the South, slaves knew that they could be free if they only could get across the battle lines to Union-controlled territory. And the fall of the Bastille drove the French to firmly put an end to the grip of the monarchy.

Don't overlook the power of symbols. Use them to drive action. History is replete with examples of their power.

Don't swear at the squirrels

Don’t swear at the squirrel, don’t damn the deer, for though they may be slow they have as much right to be here as you.

When you least expect, when you think you have the road to yourself, nature rises up to surprise you. I had a corner near where I used to live which seemed to sprout squirrels – or at least one who every so often decided to dare me to miss him. He seemed to wait for me and rush out at the last moment. I always managed to take evasive action to miss him, but it spooked me none the less

Once when coming down a mountain ridge in California I saw a deer standing by the road, and willed it to stand still, since I didn’t want to hit it, but had a steep rise on one side of the road and a sharp dropoff on the  other side. I later saw a deer dash out to cross the road up over on the Olympic Peninsula and get hit because a car couldn’t stop in time.

We have these open roads fit for cars and trucks and we are content to just plug along obliviously. But nature’s creatures are all around and need to cross. Let’s be mindful of how we drive. There are also plenty of bikes, tractors, or just slow cars that share the road, and we need to be mindful and considerate of their right to be there.

It’s like that in life, not just in driving. We may have it easy uncomplicated, never wanting for the basic necessities of life, never hassled for the way we look, where we were born, how we   worship, or who we love. We have no impediments in our history or family that cause us difficulty or even pause. But we don’t inhabit this world alone. There are many going down that road of life that struggle to get by, that can’t zoom along, and they have the same right as us to drive this road of life.



It’s like the coworker I once knew who was so upset by “slow” drivers that he described his entry to the freeway once as “driving fast and close down the entrance ramp while blaring his horn full blast to get the guy in front of him to get  out of the way”. How rude. I was glad not to be in front of him that day, but I prayed for all those who had been and would be.

So do the equivalent of social distancing in your car and your life – give space to those who need it. And if you come across a group of    geese crossing the road, stop and let them pass. You’ll get to your destination soon enough.

We will survive

Sometimes we miss lessons in history because notable dates and events are often not recognized as holidays or otherwise treated as special. There are no fireworks or special sales. Usually they are only noted by historians. Such a time was last Wednesday through Friday.  July 3rd was the 157th anniversary of the final day the Battle of Gettysburg. I remember partly because I am a history buff - my major in college was history and political science. And partly because my great-grandfather was there that fateful day.

My great-grandfather Anson Elisha Wright was born in Bristol Vermont and enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was with the 14th Vermont Regiment which was in the middle of the Union lines on Cemetery Ridge when General George Pickett lead his fateful charge. The Confederate Army was repulsed and retreated and never threatened the North again. It cost 20,000 killed and wounded on either side, the bloodiest battle of the war and though  the war didn't officially end for almost 2 years, it was the turning point where the South's destiny was sealed. 

All that to say, while these past months and years have been rough, we have been through worse times. We were literally split in two as a country, fighting state against state, brother against brother.

And yet we survived. Because people stood up for what was right.

And that is our call. Remember the tough times this country has come through. Don't forget your history. Between the Great Depression, the Spanish Flu, both World Wars, as well as the Civil War, we have had tough times to endure. Scandals galore. And continue to stand up and not only believe that we will get through this, but act on it as you can. 

Remember in 2008, not that long ago, we elected and reelected Barack Obama, an African American, to be President , an event that was unimaginable before that in my lifetime. That was us also, we can and will do better I believe.