Some July 4th Food for thought

 

Dear Friends

I hope you like this picture I just painted of “Eric the Eagle”. It is amazing what one can learn to do while sheltering in place! JUST KIDDING---MY TALENTED SISTER MARY DID THIS, AND IT CAME WITH THIS GREAT MESSAGE:

Let’s all take time to

REMEMBER THE PAST.

REFLECT ON THIS MOMENT.

RESPOND IN THE FUTURE.

Thanks also to Charles Schultz for this timely cartoon:

Thanks to Scott Stoner for reminding us of this quote from the musical "Hamilton" and part of his reflection:

America, you great unfinished symphony, you sent for me. You let me make a difference. A place where even orphan immigrants can leave their fingerprints and rise up.

Whenever I have the privilege of consulting with a family or organization in conflict, I often ask them to go back to the ideals and vision they held in common when they first started. I ask them to remember and hold on to those as they seek to resolve their current conflict. I remind them that it is easy for any of us to lose sight of our founding spirit and vision when we are in the midst of challenging times. We, our families and our county, are all unfinished symphonies, a mixture of beautiful harmonies and, at times, glaring imperfections and inconsistencies. And still, we continue to evolve, learning new harmonies to sing and new ways to more fully embody our founding ideals of life, liberty, and happiness for all.

And finally, thanks to Avery Brooke for this part of his prayer “Our Country”:

O Christ, we love this land. We wish it were always a simple love and often it is, but life has become complicated. When things go wrong it becomes easy to give up, to blame other people and to do nothing. O Christ, give us the unashamed courage to believe in the highest and best ideals of our country and enough passionate patience to make them come true. Amen.

Happy 4th! 

John

P.S. And for my two cents worth, is it asking too much that we choose a "Healer in Chief" and a "Uniter in Chief" this fall, for the health and well being of the country we all love? Personally, I think it is an urgent need; our nations's soul is at stake. But of course, in the meantime, we can and should all still keep declaring our dependence on God---on this Independence Day, and every day. 

Thanks be to God!