What a week it has been. Searching for inspiration after witnessing the violence, disregard and bigotry we witnessed at the Capitol, our SJTL teens and I listened to the final ten minutes of The Rev. Canon Paula E. Clark’s sermon from Washington National Cathedral. One by one, we shared what stood out to us—one teen mentioned that he “kept finding myself agreeing with her…” and another said that she couldn’t believe that, “…one in five families in the United States right now do not have sufficient funds to feed their families.” We talked about how rare it is to see poverty in our own neighborhoods and wondered what to do. Well, The Reverend answered us in her eloquent, yet straightforward style: She said, “…We’ve got to put on the garments of faith, compassion, inclusivity and most important, LOVE…Being the beloved of God requires us to love as God loves. To see each other as the Beloved Children of God—and that means we look with the eyes of love and compassion—even on those with whom we disagree.”

​Happy New Year Families of SJTL! What a treat to turn the page on 2020 and look ahead to a year we can hang some hope on! Pictured above is my daughter, Sophia, 13 years old, who unbeknownst to her, captures the essence of some of the habits and feelings we share: 1) The ongoing attire that centers around sweats, pj’s and casual wear since we are home more than ever and no celebratory events to attend to. 2) A sparkly 2021 headband that has a listless “1” at the end; signaling the energy for a New Year yet…trepidation for the New Year! And, 3) The thumbs up sign partnered with a neutral grimace—pointing toward our weary hearts with a glimmer of hope and belief for better days to come.