Have a Seat and Consider

Living gratefully today, I appreciate safe travels and time with extended family over the weekend. I give thanks for the marriage of my nephew Carson and his wife Megan. It was their wedding reception, one year after they got married, that brought family and friends together. Happy Anniversary you two!

As we traveled on Friday afternoon, we came across these 2 benches in downtown Lanesboro, Minnesota. (If you are ever in the area I recommend a stop and a stay.)  They are the handiwork of the local Girl Scouts. 

The benches caught my eye on the quiet streets, but it was the messages on each that really beckoned to me. It is so very easy to find discouraging news, devastation, conflict, vitriol in our ramped up and edgy communities, nation, and world. 

It is just as easy to find the encouraging and hopeful signs of resilient and caring people who make a difference in big and small ways every day. We are each these people. These kind-hearted, tolerant, and loving souls we can be if we choose to be. 

One of the most devastating results of all the negativity, whether in our own lives or the planet's, is that when there is hatred, intolerance, and judgment, there is also finger-pointing. And when there is finger-pointing, we tend to let ourselves off the hook. Not my problem. I can't fix it. If only "they" would think differently. If only "they" would do something about it.

These Girl Scout benches are just the reminder we each need to do our part. Little steps. Small kindnesses. A closed mouth. A helping hand. Stepping up and in, not stepping away. If not me, who?  If not now, when?

Onward into the day, with kindness for all and a determination to make a difference in this world.