In April I traveled back to my Seminary for a retreat with lifelong friends. It was a wonderful time that reminded me of some important truths. Five of us were together for three days and we are not all in the same denomination any more but our friendships were strong enough to overcome our differences. That is the first truth for me: Friends and family are more important than our positions. Whether religious or political, bonds should not be dissolved or broken over temporal things. We are all not on the same page but we are all people. We can be passionate about our positions but you are so much more than your opinion on any given topic and so is your neighbor. I don’t expect anyone to change their mind on anything but I would ask that you remember to be kind. For Christians, my word to you would be even stronger: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44. Not my words but Jesus.

The second truth I was reminded of is: we are never too old to learn. I was in classes again for the first time in a long time and I was learning right along with the seminary students. Now, I am too old to start over again but I was surprised at how much I learned in those classes and how much I enjoyed being stretched. I am not suggesting that any of us need to rush right out and start back to school but there all kinds of learning that we could do. Continuing education is part of what is required for pastors in our system but much of that broke down during Covid. Read something that enriches you; stay curious which leads me to my final truth: Keep growing. I have known 100 year olds that were still learning and growing. Got a hobby, get better at it. Are you a professional, improve yourself. Are you a follower of Jesus, grow closer every day. Unless we are growing, we are not following as we should. Stagnation is one of the worst things that can happen to us because we can then loose the joy of living.

Hang in there; we are all in this together, even when we disagree.