Hello, Neighbor
Thank you for diligence to ensure that we have government Of, By and For The People.
I believe God directs the hearts and minds of men and women at critical times; to stand forth and do their part with gifts God has given them; to make their difference in great causes, in families, in neighborhoods and in nations.
At this critical time in our nation’s history, and in our world’s history, each of us can stand forth with the gifts God has given us, and make our difference.
God directed the hearts and minds of women and men 235 years ago, to establish this great nation.
They seized that moment and applied their particular gifts in an arduous, contentious deliberation to accomplish something which had never been done before.
Other people had torn down tyranny and conquered kings, only to be taken over by another tyrant or another king.
God sent great spirits to Earth in these men and women, with particular gifts to apply in this momentous endeavor.
Great spirits have grand ideas and firm ideals, but their ideas and ideals were not the same.
To accomplish their primary task of creating a nation of united states, they had to each delay implementation of some of their ideas, and even some of their ideals; so that they could accomplish something magnificent: a nation with liberty and justice, eventually for all; a nation indivisible into factions and casts; a nation where The People could govern themselves, if they would.
I don’t possess the nobility of George Washington, to direct such a proceeding. He was the son of a widowed mother from his youth, who instilled in him her strength and courage.
But I have a mother who instilled her strength and courage within me!
I don’t possess the bravado of Alexander Hamilton, to shout out loud to instruct an ambivalent crowd; raised his entire life by a single mother, who instilled in him her tenacity and persistence to go when others said NO!
But I have a mother who instilled in me her tenacity to persist and resist, through illness to wellness, with a strong will to still exist! And to stay true to ideals and standards, even if I stand alone!
I don’t have John Adam’s spontaneous response, to contend with a friend over each little word; yet whose correspondence with his brilliant wife, Abigail, in their nearly 1200 letters to each other, gives us a glimpse of the companionship God intended marriage between a man and woman to be.
But I do correspond with family and friends in words that are carefully chosen and meticulously placed. And my precious wife and I do share the same love of words, as we correspond with each other in conversation and in writing.
I do have the drive of James Madison, to seek learning, by studying all things of value and to strive to apply that knowledge to greatest effect; as I have done as a biologist and to teach others what I’ve learned; and as he did when he studied how nations past had succeeded or failed, and he placed that understanding into a treatise which he knew could be the founding principles of a nation which could persist, if the citizens diligently do their part.
I also have a father who taught me that words, cleverly placed, can delight our sense of irony.
Therewith, I have seen what Benjamin Franklin saw; that wit and wisdom can dispel dissension and contention. His words were not written into the constitution or other documents of that moment, but into the hearts of all present, keeping that disparate group from dispersing before their duties were done, encouraging them onward in so great a cause.
My parent’s unconditional love of everyone, taught me that we are all brothers and sisters, all children of one Heavenly Father and at least one Heavenly Mother. We are all siblings together here, sharing this beautiful, wonderful Earth
We may not stand for what our neighbor stands for.
But we can stand next to them.
And we can stand by them in their times of need.
Today there is much contention in our nation.
There are wars and rumors of wars all around Earth.
Earth itself seems to be reeling with earthquakes and storms.
Jesus Christ predicted a time when people’s hearts would fail them, when their love would wax cold and hatred would prevail!
We are in such a time!
He said that “many” would hate.
We can be the few, though, who refuse to hate!
We can be the few who hold our nation and this world together by unconditionally loving our neighbor.
We can be the few who refuse to let our love freeze within us.
Long ago, when there was contention in a nation, and the decisions of people in a government were being influenced by money and power, and the lives of many were suspended on the balance, awaiting to know whether justice and liberty would prevail; a wise mentor, Mordecai, said to his niece, Esther:
“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, … thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
If we each hold back at this critical moment, Earth will continue on it’s course; but our lives and the lives of our families and the lives of our neighbors now hang in the balance; awaiting to know whether justice and liberty will survive for the infant in the womb and in the cradle; the child learning to read and write; young mothers and fathers, providing love, nourishment, shelter and guidance to their children; the ill, in need of healing; the elderly, in need of care.
Perhaps we were each born or brought into this nation for a time such as this?
At this critical time, while you are applying your particular gifts in opportunities which God has given you;
I stand forth with the particular gifts God has given me, and ask you, as “Your Neighbor”, to allow me to be “Your Senator”.
We can stand together and mend this fractured nation. Stitching it back together with each held hand and welcoming smile.
We can study all valuable knowledge from ages past and present, and apply it in this moment, our moment, to see that this nation, so grand, continues to stand.
Thank you, , for your kindness!
I hope and pray for happiness for you and your family today and each day!
Laird
