We have another beautiful sunny morning. My tennis player was up and out early for a match south of the river. I just made the mistake of reading some of the comments on an article in the Strib. I know better. Right now politics is in such disarray. People who voice opinions are so polarized.

Once upon a time when life seemed simple, conversations were more civil. Disagreements were over small differences of opinion. My world was small town MN, untouched by privation, anger, bitterness, mistrust. I knew no one who had needs the neighbors wouldn’t meet. We watched one another’s children, shared the bounty of our gardens. Nowhere was more than 10 minutes away by bicycle, a bit more on foot.

My dad was a dentist who often was paid in produce for his services. He couldn’t turn away someone whose teeth needed tending. During the summer we had fresh eggs, strawberries, sweet corn, chickens; leaf lettuce and radishes were Mom’s
big treats. Hungry people were in faraway lands like India and Africa.

Today we have politicians who fervently believe that no one should be allowed to be hungry or without medical help. Others feel the necessity to cut spending by eliminating programs for those who can’t or don’t speak for themselves. Sanity is probably somewhere between the extremes.

On this lovely day I want to believe we can weather the political storms. I do long for a day when kindness, decency, and compassion are the norms. Because I can remember a gentler time, I know it is possible. May it be so again.