“If I cannot do GREAT things, I can do SMALL things in a GREAT WAY” Martin Luther King Jr.

This past week was a crazy mix of extreme joy and extreme pain. My family and I were enjoying a great staycation; spending quality time together and taking care of some much needed house cleaning. We were in the middle of so much joy when we learned of several devastating incidents that tapped into our national wound; racism.

Source: Yahoo Link

Basically, two police incidents were caught on video and in both cases two black men were shot and killed. From the videos it appeared that the shootings were unnecessary. In retaliation another shooting incident was carried out by a black man against what he perceived were eleven white officers; killing five and wounding six. There was much debate and speculation regarding the motivations of all three incidents. Personally, I was deeply saddened both by the shootings and some of the rhetoric surrounding the incidents. It left me wondering; how we can heal our national wound which runs so deep and manifests in so many different ways?

In my quest to find personal peace and consolation, I’ve decided to follow these four practices as often as I can:

Think globally, but act locally. While it is always tempting to want to solve a problem in the broadest way, sometimes it works best to start close to home and within your own sphere of influence. Of course every few centuries a Martin Luther King or Mother Teresa is born with a mission so big they impact the world. For the rest of us, we can commit to living our lives with an open heart. We can improve the world by serving within our families, work environments, and communities.

Practice and teach patience, forgiveness, inclusion, and understanding. As a mother I am often called to exhibit these virtues while loving and caring for my family. Most times, I am the teacher, but at times I’m the student. I specifically remember showing concern when my daughter was assigned to share a room with a self-identified lesbian for a school event. When we discussed it, my daughter proceeded to educate me on the fact that being a lesbian was not contagious and that she had actually participated in ensuring this girl was assigned in a room where she would feel included. I was proud of the fact that despite my hesitation, she was practicing the right principles and I let her know that I appreciated being reminded of the need to show love and acceptance. It is definitely what Jesus would do and how I would want to be treated.

Prepare my children and those in my circle to practice self-respect, respect for authority, and situational awareness. Based on the incidents over the past week, I think it’s time to remind the children and young adults in my circle to be aware of how they carry themselves when dealing with the police and people in positions of authority. While I recognize how an incident plays out may not be completely up to them; however, it can increase the likelihood that they are successful in deescalating a stressful situation.

Practice LOVE not fear (…drops the mic…no more words needed…)

I’ve selected India Arie’s “Brother’s Keeper” for this week’s sound track as I believe we should all hold space for each other everyday and especially during difficult times.

Until next week,

Pernà