Connected

“Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered” (Proverbs 21:13).

Less separates us than we think. And, at some point, we all need each other. This is that point.

I remember interviewing my grandpa for a paper in high school: His dad died when he was 10. There were four boys, and it was the Great Depression. They lived in the back of a post office and only had coffee grounds to eat sometimes. He would stand in the “relief line” for bread and eggs, while the boys from school taunted him.

I remember feeling heartbroken for him. Yet, it was sympathy, not empathy; because it felt like a distant land — nothing that would ever happen in my lifetime. But, here we are, folks: Bread, eggs, a roll of toilet paper… it will help “regular” people. Nothing separates us from each other right now.

If you have extra of anything, as basic or as limited as it is, don’t feel insecure about that gift. Don’t underestimate it. That is a lot right now. Look to your left and your right. Find that person who needs it. And, if you need something — bread, eggs, a roll of toilet paper… as small as the gift might be, don’t feel insecure about receiving it right now.

After all, we are all really the same. This becomes blaringly obvious to me in these times. We need each other. Let’s learn to be sensitive to each other. We are being given the opportunity to see one another in a different light. We are being given the opportunity to learn how to love in a new way, to shore up our differences. And, love is worth the lesson.