Blessings Abound

July

July 1

     This country, like many, has its faults and its advantages.  We might have abolished slavery a couple centuries ago, yet, we have not advanced enough to where people don't see beyond color, and racism is still a large problem, whether we want to admit it, or not.  There are many who don't see beyond color, there are just as many (hopefully more) who don't really see color but a person.  I hope I'm one of those who doesn't really think about the color of a person's skin when I see them on the street and hesitate.  I'm not sure because it would probably be a reaction I wouldn't be aware of.  Where I'm from, it still seems predominately white, then Natives (we have like five reservations in the state that take up at least a good third of the state, two within a twenty mile radius) and Hispanic, then the African American community.  That's in my area of the state.  Most of the latter seem to be in the bigger cities of Milwaukee, and Madison, probably Eau Claire and La Crosse.  I would like to think we're pretty fair minded up here, since we weren't a slave state, but I'd be delusional if I truly believed it.  I've worked with my fair share of all kinds, and unless there's a language barrier, I'm fine with it.  I always feel like I'm talking down to someone who doesn't speak English fluently, as I slow down my speech and try to enunciate more clearly instead of, you know, talking fast and Wisconsin.  (Yes, we do speak fast up here.  It's because of the cold, we want to get our words out before they freeze.)  Still, to me, it's not a question of white versus black or any minority, it's about humanity and people.  It's about we're all God's children.  (Alan Jackson sang a song entitled 'We're all God's Children'.  I love it.  It starts with pointing out the different religious sects.)  

   The Tower of Babel divided one culture into hundreds if not thousands because of man's arrogance.  It's that same arrogance that keeps us separated from each other.  We should be embracing the diversity among us and learning the differences in our cultures and heritages, as well as discovering what we all share.   Yet, there seems to be some throwbacks to the days of plantations and slavery. The KKK is still at work, and while we had hoped the Nazis had been routed and disbanded, still that mindset thrives. So what do we do? We pray fervently for peace and justice. We stand up for those being unjustly accused and accosted for no reason other than the color of their skin. We stand together as a human race and God's Children.  We work endlessly for true equality for everyone.  The Father's watching us, His creation made in His Image, and He doesn't see us by color or race.  He sees us only as His Children.  Isn't it time we started acting like that?  Isn't it time we found our way back to each other as nothing more than people, His Children?  Isn't it time to fully step out of the shadows of all our ancestors and the founding fathers of this nation and truly live by the words,  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" that are written in our Constitution?  

     Blessings abound!  Diversity is a wonderful thing.   When we travel abroad, we expect to encounter differences from what we're use to.  If we apply that mindset to the country we live in, imagine what could happen to us as a nation?   When you embrace the differences that make up this country, let alone the world, you open yourself to some wonderful experiences that enrich your life.  After all, America has a very diverse culture throughout the land.  You just have to look for it, sometimes.