Happy Thanksgiving

Hello my Lovelies,

I hope you had a wonderful holiday. I got to spend a lovely, lazy day with my parents getting pleasantly plump off turkey and other great foods.

I have to admit though, despite my blessings, I'm feeling very disappointed in the strife and disharmony going on around me.
When stores have to close up because they fear for the safety of their customers and workers, something is not right.
When a crowd of people is so riotous they're infringing upon a public ceremony,  and the police must use "crowd dispersal" measures in order to maintain safety, something is not right.

What happened in Ferguson is a tragedy;  whoever was at fault, whatever the reasoning, a man was killed.
The dead man's family has to live on without him now.
The officer and his family have to live with the knowledge that he pulled the trigger and ended someone's life.
Both these statements are facts, and they are horribly painful.

But to go out crying justice while causing more pain does NOTHING to honor the dead, it does NOTHING to uphold justice.
At this point it's not about the one man who shot the other, this is about the fifty or hundred who are now furthering strife and hateful acts.

My brother is working public services in Seattle, and I now have to worry for his welfare because of this. He is someone's son, husband, father.
What about your sons, brothers, daughters, sisters? Do you want them out in this?
You cannot stand up shouting peace, justice and equality while behaving violently against innocent people.

As we continue into this season, I pray for peace to those who have lost, wisdom to the crusaders who go out each day to uphold their truths, and compassion and mercy to those who insist on waging war on each other.

I choose wage war on the true enemies: hatred and division.
I choose to uphold compassion.
And I choose to offer mercy and peace.