Eileen Benthal

As Election Day approaches and the din of hyper-partisan arguments ratchets up, we can choose a different approach.

Here we are again, some 19 years later, and our lives were paused once again as an unseen enemy brought death to our communities, our neighbors and even to our family members’ doors. But our nation’s response has changed. Instead of a nation united in searching for a cure against an enemy virus; we are divided in political camps and words and actions filled with hate.

If you’ve lost touch with your faith, maybe now is the best time to come home. Though our dealings in the larger community may still be at a distance, God is never far away and always ready to say, “Welcome home.” 

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

If your life has gotten too complicated, simplify it as best you can. Maybe raise some chickens. They like watermelon, curly hair and they’ll make you smile.

If you are struggling with wearing a mask because of anxiety or because you feel it infringes on your liberty, consider another’s right to life and health.

May this summer be a time of new growth and beauty for all of us to bloom — wherever our lives are planted.

To confront racism we need to get at the root of the problem: a basic lack of respect for human life.

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, more people are growing gardens than at any time in recent history — reminiscent of the "Victory Gardens" of World War I and World War II. But it's about more than food supply insecurity.

In these troubled times, find something you are grateful for and choose joy!