Sorry for the lack of blog posts or poetry, but I find myself soaking in this Advent trip across the Northeast U.S.A. thus will have much to pour forth in the New Year, God willing.
One thing I have noticed on my travels is just how much kindness either takes people off-guard or makes them suspicious. Either way, it means true kindness is severely lacking in the world. So spread some kindness this holiday in hopes some will find its way back to you. Stranger things have happened. 😉
When discussing my upcoming travel plans, it’s been interesting receiving people’s reactions, from “I’m so excited for you, what fun!” to “I’m terrified for you, how unpredictable!” to “I’m simply astonished by your stupidity.” Okay, maybe people haven’t said that exactly, but I see it in their eyes. A road trip Northeast in winter? What are you thinking? I, myself, hold all their thoughts, too, in a tenuous balance that I hope will lead me back home safely. A holistic anxious excitement. It’s very Advent.
If you’ve been following along, “justice” was the word on the Advent Calendar for yesterday’s photo-a-day. After I drank my coffee and read some articles of interest, with “justice” on my mind, I ran out to finish up some of the last few errands I have to do before heading off Sunday to my first stop, Tulsa, Oklahoma. There, I will get the opportunity to witness my nephews perform in a concert, one guitar, one drums, and I can’t wait.
As I headed to the store to pick up some roadside emergency preparedness peace of mind, I thought about images to post that would represent “justice.” A news podcast played in the background full of pardons and hard time depending on your social status, financial station, and melanin degree. As hard as I tried, the word “justice” left me blank, and I could not find my way out of my head long enough to look for it. So no image post yesterday. Apologies.
Here in 2024, I live in a historically impressive nation, the U.S.A., where we have managed to successfully maintain a stable government for 248 years, no small feat considering all the wars in which we have been involved, both within and without, offensively and defensively. And over these past two and a half centuries, since the very beginning, the scales of justice have never been balanced, even at America’s best. Ever. It is surprising to me that this is surprising people. Ask any pretty girl who’s ever been pulled over for speeding. Now ask…
Our country is embarking on a new path, one I don’t think we’ve witnessed in our lifetimes. Something different is beginning, and, if I’m listening correctly to what’s being carried on the wind about justice in the U.S.A., I hear Americans saying, duh, we know our justice system is rigged. We’re just sick and tired of it not being rigged in our favor. And if it’s not going to be reformed so that those of us daily on the grind have a chance, then fine, just admit it, stop pretending, and throw open Pandora’s box. It was already cracked open anyway. And I get it. To watch Justin Timberlake walk away from his DWI with practically a head shake while a careless, regretful other endured much more punishment (blog post for another day) was incredibly frustrating.
However, tempting as it is, burning everything to the ground will only produce useless ash despite billionaires’ promises of better. And if it’s one thing I learned in Constructive Theology in Divinity School, deconstructing a theology, a theory, a system of thought, may be easy, even fun. But in order to make the grade, you must accomplish the incredibly difficult challenge of rebuilding, something only possible with those foundational old bones, what you value in your humanity, your spirituality, in your life.
In addition to the headlines, this idea of justice came into focus with the most clarity a few weekends ago. My nephews and I gathered around the dinner table to play an interactive game called “Out of the Loop” The game's goal is to figure out who is out of the loop by asking questions only those in the loop would know. Therefore, among the three of us, only the one out of the loop was allowed to make up answers to avoid suspicion and win the game. The other two had to answer truthfully. After rounds and rounds of playing and laughing hysterically, the youngest whined that after all that time playing, he had still not gotten to be “out of the loop.” So I, the doting, albeit thoughtless, uncle, in wanting him to have fun, said, “Well you could always make us think you are out of the loop when you are not. That could be fun.” It was a mischievous take on the game that had begun innocently and was quite fun already.
The next round, I proceeded to play the game that way, pretending I was out of the loop when I was not. After the winner was declared, the oldest cried out, “Uncle Chad, you changed the rules! Well, if we can just lie, then this game just got a whole lot easier.” I was stricken by the truth with which this eleven-year-old bludgeoned me. Ashamed of myself, I went to him, repented, and asked for his forgiveness. I acted unjustly, played for the easy laugh rather than that which was meaningful and honest. For a quick fix and smile, I negated the priceless memories we had been creating. Worst of all, I set a horrible example for my nephews as the kind of person I hope they will become: Not a winner who cheats, but a loser with a heart of gold attempting to live life fully, honestly, with integrity and meaning. Perhaps I’m a sucker. I’ve been called worse. For I am no saint. I have my fair share of regrets and a well of repentance from which to pull. But I do try to live a life of dignity and respect. It is what I choose for myself in this life.
This Advent, as I prepare for the journey ahead, both the one of the road and the one of my spirit within, I hope to use this trip as a time of actively hoping, and not of waiting in fear or even despair over what may come. Though our society may be heading onto a path of no accountability, and one where the ideal of justice may dim from our view, do not let anyone take away your imagining of what true justice could be, the transformative power it could have, the spiritual enlightenment it could bring. Even if it can only live in your mind, hold on to those old bones, those ideals, passed to us by the generations before us who grasped for true justice, often giving their lives for an ideal they never saw fulfilled. Fight for it, honor them, and believe—however hard it may be—that a better world for all of humanity is possible. Because if you are anything like me, you have to hope, you must believe, that one day someone will breathe new life into those old bones, and generation by generation, we will edge closer to paradise.
During my fraught relationship with social media, I followed @rethinkchurch, a progressive movement within the United Methodist Church. At one time, this “brand” seemed to represent a new generation’s spirit rising in the UMC. One of “unity” through “diversity,” words we are, unfortunately, growing to devalue in our culture, in part due to our own hypocrisy. There’s blame to go around. Thus, @rethinkchurch appears to have been swept aside during these times of the United Methodist Church’s fracture, breaking, and splintering, yet another Protestant denomination divided over the beliefs of their brains rather than united by the love in their hearts. The Christian “good news” I know does not advocate cutting community into lonely little pieces left only to God. Don’t get me preaching.
Anyway, #rethinkchurch used to offer Advent/Lent Photo-A-Day challenges every year. They would offer a calendar of words and ask that you reflect upon each day’s word as you went about your day. And if, along the way, a sight encapsulated that word you kept top of mind, you would post it on your social media feed with their hashtag. For me, it became a daily ritual, a meditation, a focus of thought and attention, and led to so much discovery. I captured a lot of really wonderful images that way, photographs in which I tried to convey more than simply what is seen. (If you are interested in the Advent 2024 photo-a-day challenge, you can find Advent 2024’s calendar of words here: https://www.umc.org/en/content/advent-photo-a-day-2024.)
So, that Advent and my road trip have aligned has inspired me to revive a little @rethinkchurch spirit on Instagram this year. Of course, this has totally made me a hypocrite for saying that social media sucks. It does suck that we have allowed the convenience of technology to force our evolution from human beings into mere products made of ones and zeros. But, admittedly, there are some good parts to it. Seeing friends and family and knowing where they are and what they are up to is top of the list. So I’ll agree with myself to post one photo a day through Advent, enjoy holiday photos, and then probably eat some cold turkey and delete the app, until Lent, maybe. My phone, my choice.
Today’s word is #time. Though I have not taken a photo, I am sharing my digital art piece, “Father Time.” I, myself, cannot even say why it is called that, but that is what came to me after it was finished. I hope you like it.
Acknowledgments:
This Advent 2024 Road Trip Blog is dedicated to my River Writers writing group: Amy Gross, who inspires me with her blog, “Someday is Now”: https://somedaynow.substack.com/; Andrea Hoag, who motivates me as she is THE quintessential road-tripper writing about her own road trips in a new memoir: https://andreahoag.com/; Annette Wasilik, who writes lyrics that speak to the heart, with music that sings to the soul: https://annettewasilik.com/; and Amanda Cisco who is a fount of good ideas and descriptive writing advice: https://www.amandacisco.com/.