Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.
I cried on January 6. I saw pictures of lawless people invading the beautiful, symbolic U.S. Capitol. Guns were out. A woman got killed. A shirtless rebel wearing Viking horns stood in the front of the Congressional hall. A looter ran off with the podium used by the Speaker of the House. I kept crying.
How could this be America?
We have been gravely hurt. We have been ripped apart from each other by words intended to win votes. We were told terrible things about each other. We no longer have differences of opinion; these days, we are told it’s a matter of good versus evil. Us versus them. Us Americans, them Americans.
A nation divided, we know, will not stand. There’s going to be a civil war, they say. Some people guarantee it.
Who wins when America battles America? Who won last time? America, you might say. But who lost? Also America. How painful. Who would win this time? Is “winning” even possible?
We cannot let civil war destroy our nation, and we cannot encourage this fury. The fracture in America is ruining us. We stand to lose everything.
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control.
Thy liberty in law!
What is our plan for healing? What is your plan?
Yes, you need one. I need one. Our healing will not come from any other source. No one else can heal the pain and anger each of us carry. No one will apologize to us. No president can step into office and magic it away.
We must plan our own healing. Plans have to be thought out, plotted into manageable steps, then put into action. And we need to do it now.
Here are some ideas.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
Remember what you learned about the start of our country. Our forefathers insisted that all men are equal, regardless of belief. They were right! They still are!
Revisit the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution. Those are brilliant documents. We are rooted in greatness.
Take down any political signs in your yard. They are visible fractures, a geographical fault line right in your yard. Be an American first; a member of your political party second.
Check on your neighbors. Rebuild America by symbolically reconnecting your back yard to their back yard.
Look people in the eye and smile at them. Smiles are so powerful. We are all right here, right now. Let’s be us again.
And crown thy good
With brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.
Sincerely,
Carol Stiffler
American
