I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Whether you celebrate it or not, I hope your day was filled with love and joy and good food.
I hosted two Thanksgivings this year and it just got to be too much for me to put this together like I always do. So, I am afraid that the good news this week will have to be potluck style. Please share good news in the comments and we can all enjoy one another’s good news together.
It isn’t because good things didn’t happen this week.
Despite not having time to put together good news, I have been thinking a lot about our continued fight.
We had a huge victory earlier this month. We did better than an president in his first midterms in over 60 years. We showed that when we work hard we can win.
At the same time, there continue to be loud and angry voices, magnified by twitter and the media, that call for hatred and division and act in awful ways.
Sometimes it can be exhausting. It can seem like it will never end.
But then I remember that we are not alone in our fight.
And I remember that history is on our side.
And I remember What Gandhi wrote “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
We are engaged in a struggle as old as humanity. People have always both leaned towards love AND leaned towards hatred and fear. We have always had those two tendencies and human history is the struggle of love against hate. And, historically speaking, we have been moving towards a world with less war and less hate and less prejudice and less suffering.
And while that is wonderful, the endless struggle can seem exhausting until we remember these wise words from the Talmud “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
We have to keep up the struggle. We have to keep being forces for light and love. But we don’t have to do everything. And we don’t have to do it all the time. You are one piece in a vast network of light and love. When you need to, you can rest. You don’t have to do all the work.
But even knowing what to do can sometimes feel overwhelming. And then I remember the words of Martin Luther King. And that is what gets me by when things seem dark: “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
There are many paths we can go by, but as long as our path is lit by love and not hate, that path is the right path. As long as you are giving love and filling the world with acceptance and love and light, you are working towards a better world. Every act of kindness is a step forward. Every act of love lights a candle.
Before I sign off (and check the comments for good news) I want to finish with the Tuck and Patti song “Love Warriors.” That is what we are: Love Warriors
We give up on Love so easy
Any little thing seems to turn us away
Oh, some say Love is not the answer
But for those of us who Love, yes
It's time we got together
Took a stand, spoke out and tell everybody say now:
I won't give up, my path is clear
I'll take your hand
Walk to the Promised Land
I'm walking in Love
In Love all around me
Oh, the choice is getting smaller
Oh, it seems the battle lines are
Oh, they're being drawn
Oh yes, I think it's time we became Love Warriors
Oh say, I know that if we get together
We can win this race
Oh come on and be strong
I won't give up, my path is clear
I'll take your hand
Walk to the Promised Land
We won't give up, our path is clear
I'll take your hand, we'll walk together
I won't give up, I believe in Love, yeah
I'm gonna stand up and be counted
I believe in Love
I'm not afraid to tell you that
I have given my life to Love
Now, I'm not afraid
I'm a Love Warrior, I'm a Love Warrior
Will you join me? Say now:
We won't give up, our path is clear
We'll walk together
Through the Promised, through the Promised Land
Thanks everyone. I promise to BRING good news next week again. For this week, I can’t wait to read it in the comments.
I am so proud and so lucky to be in this with all of you 💛💚💜🧡✊🏽✊🏻✊🏽💖💛💚💜🧡