Roy’s Sunday Letter for November 10, 2024
** The church and leaders of faith have been an influencing part of my life from college, vocation and now in my elderhood. The church and faith centers have addressed gaps in food scarcity, racial and gender equality, the pursuit of peace among nations/cultures, and now strong divisions in our society. In my small way I am encouraging the church to continue to be the light of Hope in our troubled, chaotic America. The message is Keep the Faith, to speak, to represent and live the truths of faith on behalf of those without power, business owners attempting to meet payroll, and those struggling to find or retain work to pay the rent. The challenges of those who push the Christiam faith into schools and local and national governments will continue. The urgency of our worsening climate, melting Artic, drought, wildfires, and water are not included in the naming of national or international priorities thus far by our emerging leaders. We will need each other more than ever in the events, decisions, and distractions ahead.
- There are mornings with coffee when I am either the old 80 or the young 80. My mind and fingers are flexible on the keyboard for social media and writing stories; my balance is maintained by walking carefully, my walking stick, and taking the elevator not the stairs. So, old 80….young 80….perhaps both true.
** A meaningful Prayer from Laura Jean Thurman, Chaplain, Aging
Keep my anger from becoming meanness
Keep my sorrow from collapsing into self-pity
Keep my heart soft enough to keep breaking
Keep my anger turned toward justice, not cruelty
Keep me fiercely kind
- People Are Amazing: 1) A New York City man and his son daily prepare meals, ride subways, visit parks to find and offer food to isolated and homeless men and women. As a child, his mother and he were homeless, continuing as a young adult. Now, committed to uplifting others with food; 2) A young man from China has been bicycling though American roads for six months. He is dependent on the generosity of those he meets for food and a safe place to rest. He politely refuses to accept money. He is bicycling to experience and learn of our country and its people. 3) I listened as a man my age read the pages of his growing up in a family with a controlling father, moving often, with all decisions of his life made by his father, escaping to attend college, never returning. There are far more mother-daughter stories than father-son. To write and then openly tell his story was brave, and emotional.
** The Sacred and the Relational: In your travels, reading a book or viewing something special, where is one or two Sacred places important to sustain and renew your Spirit? What attracts you to the Sacred? Does your Sacred place have sounds or a rhythm? For many the Sacred may be within them, separate from a river trail or mountain valley.
You can strengthen your Sacred places by travel, or by a river or wooded trail. Rather than our natural tendency to seek, allow a sound, place, or to event come to you. In these upside-down times a Sacred place, sound, or event may be an essential to your healthy emotional, mental, and spiritual self.
Roy, a bench on the nearby Trinity River trail
Great article Roy.
Could not agree more about the importance of faith in our society. Myself, and my Conservative friends, relied heavily on our faith and the Power of Prayer last Tuesday.
I applaud you from removing your political views from you Sunday Newsletter. Very considerate.
I would’ be very interested to hear your response to the conservative assertion that liberal policies are primarily responsible for:
1. The removal of prayer and God from our public education system.
2. The uni-lateral teaching of Darwinism as the answer to creation, when Darwin himself shied away from the issue. i.e Evolution, by definition, assumes an established starting point.
In general, Conservatives do not delineate people of faith by religious ideologies. Religious beliefs, existent or not, are personal preferences protected by our Constitution. Hence, the founding of our country.
Myself, and my conservative friends, would be thrilled to see faith and religion become more, or even a part of, our education system. Not as an indoctrination, rather as an alternative choice. Our public education system has chosen to ensure our children accept same-sex marriages, but never offer intelligent design as an alternative to the creation of life. It’s confusing.
Again, I totally agree with your assertion that the move away from the church is largely to blame for the divisiveness in our country. It needs to be fixed.
Thanks for the article,
Jerry
Friend Jerry…..
I have published my Sunday Letter every Sunday for 3 yrs.
For 3 yrs. I have avoided the ease of labels for people and causes.
The “removal of prayer,” in my fading elder memory, has been a slow slide.
the 60’s and my generations separation of 1950 structures and values was one part.
Decades of lawsuits and court decisions about who is included in our emerging culture, and thus not heard may be another part.
Our basket is full, even over-flowing.
Lies and mistruths of Vietnam, coffins, a Washington Wall
Nixon and Watergate, one more erosion of trust and what is true.
Race, voting rights, and the begging of gender equality one more.
Then, the pulpits grew quiet
America muttered along.
And now we are awakened again
But differently
Thus, the divisions and complexity of 2024 is b3fore us all.
I am a face to face over iced tea true Texan.
Either east or west side good for me
If this matches to you and your calendar we can easily work out the 1, 2, 3’s
Thank you for reading with appreciation for your good Comments
More for us to smooth out…..Roy
I don’t know you Jerry but we share the same last name. I applaud your views and as a retired teacher I would like to see more love of country taught in our sahools. In this day and age we have such a mix of religions and beliefs; separation of church and state is essential. Let’s just get back to the basics and take pride in being Americans.
Always good and helpful comments from Maurine.
You, and Jim, invested your lives and energy in others, and for 20+ yrs. the underserved and under clothed through University Christain’s Clothes Closet.
Today, post election, we Americans are challenged as to which of a divided Americas do we teach and show to our kids?
More iced tea together to fully define and work that one through…..and, we will.
Roy
Great letter Roy..
Very well said, Jerry.
Joshua Tree National Park has been a sacred space for years.. , during my time in San Diego. rock climbed there for years.. and now gather once or twice a year with old climbing partners to soak in the intense spirit of the place.. We don’t climb anymore. We play cards and dominos and share good meals and great wine..
Smith Rock Summit Loop has become my new sacred spot, since our move to Central Oregon.. The challenging mountain bike trail takes a little over an hour to complete.. parts are very secluded and isolated and the spirit of the peaks and valley and Crooked river wash over you in a very invigorating fashion.. Happy Sunday to all.
Friend Mike…
Appreciation words for journey with Sacred places.
In a world that today seems to value transactions/numbers over relational. the real hard work, being still with images or memories of the Sacred essential.
Yes, we must have food and water. I will a healthy spirit as #3.
I will keep writing….You keep reading and sharing yourself…….Roy
Great thoughts, comments and suggestions! Well done, and motivating as usual.
My only purpose
I write with both feet on the ground, firmly planted.
Doing, being my best
Are not we all….Roy
Always look forward to our Sunday Morning connection. I think it is important to reach into our soul with love to find a direction for healing for ourselves and others and for the earth and nature. I think perhaps that it is important to find our God Intended Self to find our God Intended Path.
Thank you, Roy.
I enjoy reading your Sunday letters, but especially this one, as my faith is being tested these days. I especially loved the poem. Thanks again, my best to Beth.
Hania
Realizing I am a conservative, probably the only one in Roy’s Newsletter, I will honestly state my beliefs that we all, as Americans, hopeful of a society where diverse opinions and ideologies are helpful, how boring would this place be if we all had the same political/social ideas. However, we all seem to achieve the same outcome being wellness, equal opportunities, freedom of speech (not destructive demonstrations nor hate-speech), a more educated society (educated not indoctrinated), a solution to homelessness, crime reduced to levels never seen before, etc.
The differences in our two parties are not the end results, rather the paths required to attain these results. Hence, the tea discussions!
I disagree with most liberal philosophical approaches, not intended results.
Protect our liberties and freedom of choice.
Thank you friend Jerry.
My role as writer is to prepare, draft, check for the right tone and balanced content.
The SLgoes to 122 diverse person, living coast to coast.
ALL COMMENTS desired. All comments responded to in a positive way.
I am not, never have been reactive.
I seek what is reasonable, more what works, what is common ground.
I do have readers who respond quickly if I even mention guns or leveling the playing field for all.
So, Jerry, you are not alone within my 122 readers.
I welcome all comments and all views.
Ears and heart are open.
All the best you and all family, always…………just a guy doing his best….Roy
you’re not the only conservative Jerry.. Very early on Roy and I had some heated discussions , prior to his Sunday letters.. I’ve learned many things from Roy, one of the biggest is how to truly listen and hear opposing views.. living in Central Oregon I know many who are currently sad from last weeks events.. I am so very happy.. the sun rises and sets for us all.. perspective is the key.. the Sunday letter has been a very good addition to my weekly quest for knowledge, perspective, friendship thru the written word…
to Hania’s comment about the poem.. ” fiercely kind”. Would be some great words for one’s tombstone..
To all the veteran’s in SL land.. thanks so very much for your service to our great nation.. Happy Veteran’s Day.
Thank you for supporting and clarifying words Mike.
We stayed at the table, listened, gain from each other.
A 2024 reality and truth we, the big we, is we can still do so, even now, today
Roy
Great letter Roy. You definitely got attention!
It seems there is a common theme of loving our country and all people as well as respecting differing perspectives. We have endured for almost 250 years, a short span in history but a long time for a democracy. My hope is that we have a constructive period ahead.
We both have friends in deep despair.
And for all the right reasons.
Taking the longer view, there is a self-destruct element in all of this hurdling down these rapids and over the dam.
I have a paragraph in my mind for Sunday Letter that may add a smile to a few…..days to go before fingers on keyboard.
I am the better you are somewhere in the room…….Sunday it is. Roy