So sorry to be ‘gone’ so long. I think we completed a two thousand three hundred and thirty seven mile journey on October 26, 2023. I came with a friend who was headed to Washington (the state not D.C.). I’d decided to get a fresh start.
Little did either one of us know the pitfalls we would incur while traversing two thirds of the United States of America. I don’t know how many of you saw the actual movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles with Steve Martin and John Candy (the dear Lord keep his soul at peace and with Him always), but we got to to do the real thing.
Recovery is very slow from such a journey!
Every day seemed to take an hour or two longer in the car than anticipated. I don't recall one of the hotels whose chains I've stayed at for a long time to be anything close to ‘up to standards’.
Honestly, the main problem is really Covid. Every single place was understaffed. One of my main goals is to get a laugh out of anyone I meet. This proved difficult all along the way. Those who were working just seemed overwhelmed, overdone or no longer cared because it is hard to get fired when you know what the employer would have to go through ‘you know what’ to replace you.
America has changed. Perhaps the best way to describe this seems to be a dramatic drop and a willingness to care about what one is doing when it comes to their work and more importantly, one another. I had over two thousand miles of experience after experience to prove this. And the polarization brought on by an ex-president is unprecedented. He should go down in history as fomenting what still could be a second civil war.
Surprisingly I never lost my patience with anyone we met. I was always kind even to the dourest of people we came in contact with the way. But I had this growing fear of where was God in all this?
I think one of our major pitfalls as humans is when the chips get down, instead of thanking God we made it this far, we have an overwhelming tendency to wonder where He is or even blame Him. I'm sure our dear Lord is blamed for more than anything or than anybody in all of human history.
This is why He came down to ‘set the record straight’. Just love Me and love one another.
Is this how we accomplish this? By blaming Him for pitfalls we encounter. By making our neighbor our enemy because of their political views or vice versa?
So what does one single tiny human being do, to ‘counter’ this feeling, perception or actual experience of watching our great country, the light of the world, slowly dissolve into the aforementioned apathy, polarization and a real disrespect for their fellow countrymen, particularly those who are not of the same religion, race, or political view?
We follow the rules.
1. We love God, in all His magnificent Triune omnipresence, with our whole heart, soul, and with everything we do.
2. We love our neighbor not just as we should love ourselves (and this has to be first by acknowledging the One Who created us and being grateful for this chance to be human), but even more so.
There is no greater gift or act of giving than to lay down one’s life for a fellow human.
And we not only follow the rules, but we also remember to do so all the time.
Yes, it is difficult. Yes, it requires constantly reminding ourselves, particularly when we come across one of the ‘dourest ones’.
We must persevere. We must…
Persist.
Every minute, hour, day, week – all the time.
Always.
Love Him. Love each other – all of us called human.
Photos credit to GMS Photographic.