Life and love

I celebrated Easter as an "insider" for nearly 6 decades.
I have now celebrated a dozen more Easters as an outsider.  
Landing outside those religious walls came as a total shock to me and a source of great sadness. But then I began sorting and soul-searching and seeking for truth and figuring out what I really believe and which things are worth building my life on... 

Jesus ends up at the top of my list.  

I want to follow his words and his example. 

I want to love like he loved.  
I want to be a person of grace.

I had just been pondering something I wrote during those years in exile…  about the fact that I often find myself stuck "in the middle" between friends at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Sure enough this pandemic where we currently find ourselves is one of those times when lines have been drawn and I find myself with friends on both extremes.  

In some ways and at some times, the middle is a good place to be, but there are other times when I might need to lean one way or the other.  Sometimes it's tough to know which way to lean.

Naturally I tend to err on the side of caution.  

But I hope that I also err on the side of love and compassion and kindness and grace.  The side of life and love and health and healing.  That's the direction I want to lean.

I guess you could say that is my religion.

That's how I want to live my life.

Five-minute Friday: HERE

Five-minute Friday - when we set the timer & write for five minutes - with no editing
Today's word: HERE

...

I am here - stuck in the middle.
On Facebook.
In social settings.
In life.

I have lots of right-wing conservative friends and I also have a bunch of flaming liberal friends - well, and pretty much everything in between. And I like that. Sometimes. But sometimes not so much. Some days Facebook is not a comfortable place to be - what with all of the colorful posters and two-word slogans screaming from my news feed. Then there are the days when I might want to post something heartfelt - like "I really like Michele Obama" - or some other potentially controversial status. But I think twice - or thrice or more times - because I'm pretty sure SOMEBODY will yell at me. Well, maybe not yell, but scold me or condemn me or jump down my throat or something. Or lecture me. Or label me.

Sometimes I'm tempted to de-friend everybody who disagrees with me - but then I wouldn't have any friends. Besides these are my friends. I like them. AND I can learn from my friends on both sides.

Besides most of the time I kinda' like being HERE - stuck in the middle - even though it feels like I don't belong anywhere. Here is where I am. Here can be a pretty good place.

...

I have both conservative and liberal parts within me and I think I can understand both viewpoints. I hope that I am conservative in the best sense of the word - as in conserving resources, taking good care of people and things and responsibilities. I admit that I am naturally conservative when it comes to being cautious or wanting to do the right thing. On the other hand, I also hope that I am liberal in the best meanings of that term - that I am generous and lavish - extravagant even - with my love and compassion, with my respect and loyalty, with service and helpfulness, and most of all with grace.

Yep, I am HERE - stuck in the middle. And that's okay.