"let the record show, I did not consent..."

"a friend who taught me
right from wrong,
and weak from strong,
that's a lot to learn,
what can I give you
in return..."..."

This post will be two-pronged in its message. The first is simply this: thank you President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama. Thank you for your dignity, humility, grace, and compassion. You have taught us that there is a fierce, but gentle, greatness found in meekness, humor, grace, and humility. You have been an example of what it means to "go high," when they "go low." I came upon this Glee version of "To Sir with Love and it says so much of what was in my heart.

The other purpose of this post, is to put on record for my children, their children, and their children's children -- unto a thousand generations -- my conscientious objection to the outcome of this election. I sense that this will be a moment in history that will live on as a lesson to future generations. I would never want my family to wonder where I stood. I stood with compassion, I stood with the defense of human rights, I stood with nobility of character, integrity, and respect for all.

Last week I wrote that I "couldn't ever remember re-posting someone else's piece in its entirety," but today's article by John Pavlovitz, "Let the Record Show," copied below, warrants repeating here -- for me. I don't know that if I'd written a piece to say the same thing, it would have been an exact replication -- I don't think I would have been as brutally honest. But I would have wanted to be. Something is deeply wrong here. I feel that we must remain alert, vigilant, and prayerful. This piece allows me to go on record with my conscientious objection -- so I am re-sharing it below. 

This is not political.  It is not about one ideology or another.  This, for me, is moral.  It is about humanity, honesty, faith, hope, affection, meekness, compassion, and temperance.

This is one of those times when I actually do hope that what is posted on the internet lives forever in cyberspace. I hope that if my great, great, great grandchildren ever wonder how I voted -- they will be able to know which side of history I stood on. If I'd lived in 1944 Germany, 1915 Armenia, 1995 Bosnia, or 2015 Syria, I would have wanted to go on record in the same way.  I have posted Pavlovitz article in its entirety here.  Yes, there are statements that I may not have made, using exactly the same language. But saying no to hatred and fear is not about politics or language -- it is about Love, and when speaking about Love, words are never adequate, quite perfect, or enough. 

Let the Record Show
by John Pavlovitz 

"Let the record show that I did not consent to this.

Let it show that I did not vote for this man, that he did not represent me, that I did not believe he was deserving of being here, that I grieved his ascension.

Let History record my objection to him, to the ways he humiliated women and vilified Muslims and threatened protestors and disregarded people of color.


Let it record my repulsion at his tremendous cruelty, his lack of compassion, his contempt for dissension, his absence of simple decency.

Let witnesses mark down my disgust at the way he boasted of infidelity, at how he ridiculed a disabled reporter, at the way he attacked female opponents for their appearance, at the way he marginalized immigrants.

Let it be remembered that I did not look the other way when women accused him of assault, when the reality of his Russian alliances came to light, when he refused to share his tax records—though large portions of the American media and its people chose to.

Let it be remembered that I did not buy into the fear that he perpetuated of those with brown skin or hijabs or foreign birthplaces.

Let the record show that I looked on with disbelief as he spent countless early morning and middle-of-the-night hours following the election on social media, broadcasting a steady stream of petulant, insecure, incoherent messages instead of preparing to do a job he was ill-equipped for and seemingly not all that interested in.

Let the record show that I watched him assemble a Cabinet of billionaires and bigots, of people woefully unqualified to steward our children, our safety, our healthcare, our financial stability—and that I was horrified by it all.

Let it be remembered that my faith would not allow me to fall in line behind this man while so many professed religious people did; that I saw nothing resembling Jesus in him, and that to declare him Christian would have been to toss aside everything I grew up believing faith in Christ manifested in a life.

Let History record my grieving at the racism and bigotry and homophobia that characterized his campaign, marked his supporters, and is evident in his assembling Administration.

Let it be known that I was one of the more than 65 million people who voted for Hillary Clinton; who understood that though not perfect, she was an intelligent, experienced, passionate public servant with the temperament, commitment, and qualifications to lead and lead well.

Let the record show that I greatly lamented the day of his inauguration, and that I promised to join together with other good people to loudly resist and oppose every unscrupulous, dangerous, unjust and dishonest act this new Administration engages in.

History has been littered with horrible people who did terrible things with power, because too many good people remained silent. And since my fear is that we are surely entering one of those periods in our story, I wanted to make sure that I was recorded for posterity:

I do not believe this man’s actions are normal.
I do not believe he is emotionally stable.
I do not believe he cares about the full, beautiful diversity of America.
I do not believe he respects women.
I do not believe he is pro-life other than his own.
I do not believe the sick and the poor and the hurting matter to him in the slightest.
I do not believe he is a man of faith or integrity or nobility.
I do not believe his concern is for anything outside his reflection in the mirror.

I believe he is a danger to our children.
I believe he is a threat to our safety.
I believe he is careless with our people.
I believe he is reckless with his power.
I believe America will be less secure, less diverse, less compassionate, and less decent under his leadership.

And if I prove to be wrong, it will be one of the most joyful errors of my life. I will own these words and if necessary, willingly and gladly admit my misjudgment because it will mean that America is a better and stronger nation, and the world a more peaceful place.

But right now I don’t see that happening.

Right now I am worried for my country, concerned for our planet, scared for the future of my children, and greatly saddened that 62 million Americans seem okay with all of this.

Let the record show that I was not okay with it.

Not at all."

As Pavlovitz writes, I hope that I am wrong -- it would be a joyful error. I pray that I am wrong. I do part with Pavolovitz belief that we are less secure, compassionate, and decent under this man's leadership. Not because I trust anything that the new president says he will (or won't) do but because I trust that God is more powerful than any man, and that Love is more powerful than hate. That we are all more attentive to the workings of Love in our hearts, than the clatter of coins in our pockets.

offered with Love -- and hope,

Kate

"until you learn to love yourself..."

"Let Me love you
and I will love you, 
until you learn
to love yourself..."

A dear friend recently sent me a link to Neyo's version of this song. And as she intuited, I fell in love with the lyrics. But it has has been Jacob Artist's interpretation of "Let me Love You" from a Glee episode, that has spoken to my heart this morning.

I remember one of my first big question in Sunday School was, "How can I love another as myself, when I don't know how to love myself?" And I remember Mrs. Garren's soft answer as if she were sitting in front of me today, "You can't."

But she didn't leave me there. She opened her Bible and found a passage (from I John 4:19) that I noticed she'd tabbed for herself with a small slip of paper and had carefully outlined in pen.

Then, with tears ready to spill from her eyes she read:

"We love Him,
because He first
loved us."

It was clear that this passage held great meaning for her and that she was extending it to me as a gift of love.

It's taken me decades to understand what she wanted for me that Sunday morning.  You see, Mrs. Garren was not just my Sunday School teacher, she was my friend and confidante. She was the first grown-up I'd ever talked with about God, and she was the first person with whom I'd ever shared how small, helpless, and insignificant I felt in a very dark world.

Later she would encourage me to speak with someone -- a teacher, a practitioner, my mother -- about what I was feeling, but I just couldn't.   For many years it was the memory of those tears -- gathering on her eyelashes that morning as she read to me about God's love -- which gave me hope, and helped the most. 

 I knew she knew, and I somehow sensed in her tears that she loved me. And that she loved me enough to want something for me.  She longed for me to know how to love myself, so that I could love (and be loved by) others. So she turned me to the best teacher and textbook she knew -- the life of Jesus.

And although it took me years to understand the true promise and power in that passage, its seed never left the ground of my heart. She'd planted something that she trusted would grow -- slow and sure -- until it was ready to push itself through the soil of my hopes and bear fruit.

I believe that she was encouraging me to look at myself in the mirror of Christ's love, and discover the person she saw. To let myself feel God's mercy in the wake of mistakes. To let myself experience forgiveness when I thought I least deserved it. To watch blame and regret dissolve in the tear-soaked space of His infinite, unconditional love. To let myself be loved, so that I could know how to love.

She knew I'd been a good girl, a very good girl. That I'd tried in every way to earn the love of others. But she alone knew that my heart was a shattered place full of self-doubt and secret pain.  To know that she loved me -- still, and to know that she thought I deserved God's love was like rain upon arid ground.

But she also knew that I could never really love others with confidence, without first loving myself. That to give my love -- no matter how generously -- to others without first loving myself was like giving someone a grab bag gift. I wouldn't know what was inside, or if I really even believed it was good, or liked it, but hey, it's better than nothing -- not really!

By turning me towards the light of this Scripture Mrs. Garren was giving me a greater gift than I could ever even have imagined at the time.

Never underestimate the small seeds of love you sow. When sown with love and watered with tears they begin to take root. Trust Love to bring those seeds of kindness to fruition. Love never fails.

I love this passage from Mary Baker Eddy's article, "Love," in her Miscellaneous Writings, 1883 - 1896:


"Love is not something put upon a shelf, to be taken down on rare occasions with sugar-tongs and laid on a rose-leaf. I make strong demands on love, call for active witnesses to prove it, and noble sacrifices and grand achievements as its results. Unless these appear, I cast aside the word as a sham and counterfeit, having no ring of the true metal.

Love cannot be a mere abstraction, or goodness without activity and power. As a human quality, the glorious significance of affection is more than words: it is the tender, unselfish deed done in secret; the silent, ceaseless prayer; the self-forgetful heart that overflows; the veiled form stealing on an errand of mercy, out of a side door; the little feet tripping along the sidewalk; the gentle hand opening the door that turns toward want and woe, sickness and sorrow, and thus lighting the dark places of earth."
  
Yes, this is the way He love us -- and we do deserve it. And by example, this is how we've been taught by Him to love others. To love another as we have learned to love ourselves -- this "self" that He loves so deeply, impartially, universally, and unconditionally -- is all He asks. He knows us, and loves us. He gives us to one another as fully known and valued gifts of love.

Thank you Mrs. Garren for loving me.

offered with Love,

Kate

"Free your mind, the rest will follow..."

"Stop...
in the name of Love
before you break my heart...

think it over...."

The first time I heard the cast of Glee's performance of this extraordinary mash-up version of "Stop in the Name of Love" and "Free Your Mind," I got chills.  I never would have thought to marry these two songs from such different genres of music.  But it is truly brilliant. 

It goes after the subject of judging based on "an outward sense of things" with such a clear message of Love.  I am especially touched by this lyric from "Free Your Mind":

"Before you can read me
You must learn how to see me..."

I think, for today, I am going to just let this video clip speak for itself... and invite you to join me, in pondering the liberating promise in this line:

"Free your mind,
the rest will follow..."

On every front...in our relationships with one another, our bodies, the environment, and our place in the global community...it's a message I'm taking into my heart, and striving to walk in. It resonates with all that I am learning about Love.

One of the things I have most learned...from spending much of my time with teens and young adults...is, that the thing which really breaks hearts, even more than the interplay of romantic relationships, is when someone feels judged by surface appearances. When a girl is assumed to be provocative based on her body type or clothing choices, or the label of "bad boy" is placed on a guy because if his hairstyle, the way he wears his shorts, or the music he enjoys.

I love camp for this very reason. Here, everyone is encouraged to look further, and to listen more deeply. To rend the veil of surface appearances and discover one another on a spiritual level. And there is nothing like it. To feel "seen" for who you truly are...is life-transforming. And it's a practice that every one of us can take home at the end of the session...or the summer, and share with our family, friends, and neighbors. Instead of breaking hearts, we begin to nurture them with this new approach to seeing...and being seen. Its a message of blessing. 

Since the Glee video (above) is so much fun, I am also including this clip of "Stop in the Name of Love/Free Your Mind," with the lyrics.  I don't want you to have to strain for its message of grace.  

Have a wonderful weekend.  I hope you'll give yourself the gift of a "camp" perspective. I always find it so liberating...to free my mind from the impositions of sense, so that I can soar on the thermals of Soul. It's a great place from which to see everything (and everyone), from a new, higher point of view.   And I'm finding that it's much easier to stop judging, when it's in the name of Love.  

From here on the side of a mountain, I'm just "thinkin' it over..."

lovingly,

Kate